The Kingdom of Netherlands donates $28 million to build more resilient food systems in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan

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The Kingdom of Netherlands donates $28 million to build more resilient food systems in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan

The Netherlands has today contributed the sum of $28 million to back FAO’s work to boost the resilience of food systems in Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. This is part of a new initiative by the UN to scale-up resilience-based development work in countries affected by protracted crisis

The agreement was signed by Sigrid A.M. Kaag, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, and Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General during the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York (17-30 September).

Qu while addressing the press after signing the agreement said that “Countries and regions affected by protracted crises are often reliant on humanitarian aid and too frequently written off as places where agricultural and rural development cannot take place at scale. Our work shows that is not true, We know it can. This is why this project includes a robust learning agenda that will help capture successful case studies that can be replicated in other communities facing similar challenges”.

“This is a major step forward in our collaborative effort to build on the Security Council’s ground-breaking resolution last year on conflict and food security. Through FNS-REPRO, we’ll be operationalizing a new way of working in humanitarian contexts, one that recognizes that sustained rural development initiatives — even in situations of protracted instability — have a key role to play in preventing and mitigating food crises,” said Kaag in follow up to Qu’s statement.

FNS-REPRO’s will work along three broad footprints. These footprints are:

1)improving rural communities’ access to and management of natural resources;

2)generating enhanced and new livelihood opportunities along agricultural value chains;

3) enhancing people’s capacity to explore and take advantage of those new opportunities.

The project will aid different communities in identifying and mitigating risks, as well as improving the management of natural resources. It will also help establish more resilient livelihoods and increase local agricultural production. Apart from the improve food and nutrition security, the project also aims to reducing conflict and sustaining peace.

The new FAO project is based on the premise that humanitarian, development and peace building efforts must be complimentary and mutually-reinforcing. Such integrated efforts offer the most effective way to manage food crises. They are especially vital in rural areas where hunger is most prevalent and where most national food crises and famines start.

Culled from www.fao.org

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