UN agriculture agency and World Bank reinforce partnership

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, FAO, and the World Bank have opened a new chapter in their longstanding partnership by further strengthening their cooperation to end hunger and poverty at global and national levels, the United Nations, UN, reported Thursday.
The two organisations have signed a new agreement to will work closely together to support the member countries in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG's, improve rural livelihoods, enhance efficiency of food production and distribution, and ensure sustainable management of natural resources worldwide, the UN News Centre said on its website.
The framework agreement – which enables FAO to provide technical expertise to governments for projects funded by the World Bank -– was signed yesterday in Rome by Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director-General for Operations, and Hartwig Schafer, the Vice-President of the World Bank's Operations Policy and Country Services.
This enhanced partnership realises faster mobilisation of FAO assistance to member countries in order to advance the 2030 Agenda for and its corresponding SDGs.
"The tools will increase financial resources for development, especially in situations of protracted crises and fragile States," said Gustafson in a response during the signing ceremony.
Schafer stressed that the new agreement is about joining forces on the front lines of crises and building on each organisation's comparative advantages, adding that it "becomes even more relevant in the context of emergency response, fragility and limited capacity to implement critical development programs in the countries."
The new agreement will go beyond FAO and World Bank investment programmes, said Schafter in a video interview. Through FAO Investment Centre both international bodies have been working together for over 50 years providing development support to invest in agriculture and rural development. The Centre has contributed to over $100 billion worth of investments worldwide.

Source: WAM