Tashkent – The Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) is encouraging private-sector investments and private-public partnerships to make agrifood programs extra environment friendly, extra inclusive, extra resilient and extra sustainable, Director-Basic QU Dongyu at this time instructed the Partnerships and Funding Discussion board in Tashkent.
The discussion board introduced collectively representatives from the private and non-private sectors. Uzbekistan’s Minister for Agriculture, Ibrokhim Abdurakhmanov, additionally delivered opening remarks because the assembly’s host.
The underlying goal stays the achievement of the Sustainable Growth Objectives, significantly SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG2 (Zero Starvation), and SDG10 (Decreased Inequalities).
This requires robust political will, concrete actions, focused investments and strategic partnerships, Qu mentioned in his opening remarks.
Landlocked Creating International locations (LLDCs) akin to Uzbekistan face explicit challenges as a consequence of their geography, particularly excessive transportation, logistics, and infrastructure prices.
By leveraging the strengths and assets of a variety of companions, LLDCS can overcome structural constraints, improve their agricultural productiveness, and obtain financial development.
Governments and policymakers can help personal sector investments in agrifood programs by offering a supportive setting that’s secure, predictable, and inclusive.
FAO, for its half, is working intently with a variety of companions to mobilize personal sector funding by attracting and channelling focused investments based mostly on science and evidence-based data exhibiting the place funding is required essentially the most and the place it’ll have impression at scale, Qu mentioned.
Examples of initiatives that FAO offered on the 5-6 September 2024 Worldwide Discussion board on Land Locked Creating International locations embrace its Hand-in-Hand Initiative, a country-owned and country-led initiative prioritizing essentially the most susceptible international locations, together with LLDCs.
October’s Hand-in-Hand Funding Discussion board will see LLDCs current their funding plans to worldwide monetary establishments, the personal sector, and useful resource companions, Qu mentioned.
One other instrument offered on the discussion board is the Public-private partnerships within the agrifood sector – known as Agri PPPS.
The advantages of Agri PPPs embrace pooling assets to cut back dangers, whereas growing productiveness and financial development. Agri PPPs are significantly related to LLDCs, the place governments face restricted assets and experience.
FAO and the Funding Centre
The Director-Basic famous that 2024 is a vital yr for FAO because it marks the sixtieth Anniversary of the FAO Funding Centre’s partnership with the World Financial institution.
By connecting Members and monetary companions, the FAO Funding Centre applies the data and experience of the Group to assist an enabling setting for efficient coverage and investments.
Since its institution, the Centre has elevated the quantity and vary of companions, and in July this yr, FAO dedicated to 2 main partnership initiatives which are essential to reworking agrifood programs in creating international locations, together with LLDCs. These are the G20 World Alliance towards Poverty and Starvation – for which the assist mechanism will probably be hosted at FAO and in Brasilia; and the World Partnership for the Imaginative and prescient for Tailored Crops and Soils initiative (VACS), which seeks to construct resilient agrifood programs grounded in various, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops grown in wholesome, fertile soils.
FAO is dedicated to persevering with working with all companions for higher manufacturing, higher vitamin, a greater setting, and a greater life, leaving nobody behind – together with within the LLDCs, Qu instructed the discussion board.
