The
conference has been a success because of our collective engagement and determination
to contribute and compromise - FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu
FAO Regional Conference for Africa concludes in
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Malabo – African
countries have committed to raise their ambitions and accelerate their actions
towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular
ending poverty and hunger, at the conclusion of the 32nd Session of the FAO Regional
Conference for Africa.
Sixty-two Ministers from 54 African countries participated in
the conference – country representation was one of the largest ever thanks to
the hybrid mode, with more than half the ministers attending in person in
Malabo, and the remainder joining online.
“I’m happy to see the conference has been a success. It has been
a success because of our collective engagement and determination to contribute
and compromise,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu in his closing remarks.
Qu urged countries to adopt enabling policies, innovation and
science, and proper investment for agrifood systems transformation in Africa.
“We have a lot more work to do, and we must continue to work together,
efficiently, effectively and coherently,” he said.
The Director-General also thanked the Government of Equatorial
Guinea for hosting the conference, and the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock,
Forests and Environment H.E. Francisca Eneme Efua for her strong leadership as
Conference Chairperson.
Countries
welcome FAO’s Four Betters
In the ministerial declaration shared today, ministers welcomed
the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 which
shapes the organization’s work towards achieving the SDGs under the Four
Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a
better life for all, leaving no one behind.
“We call on our partners to support our efforts through
enhancing investments as we step up our efforts towards the transformation of
agrifood systems through the implementation of the Four Betters,” Deputy
Minister for Agriculture of Tanzania, Anthony Peter Mavunde said, reading the
declaration on behalf of the Ministers.
The Ministers also affirmed the centrality of women and young
people in Africa’s transformation of agrifood systems, and called on FAO to
accelerate concrete actions to tackle the impacts of the climate crisis –
calling it a “major threat to the African region.”
Countries
meet during worsening hunger crisis
The conference was held during a particularly difficult time for
Africa, with the war in Ukraine, as well as a devastating drought in the Horn
of Africa, causing instability to the continent’s food security.
Close to 800 delegates participated in the four-day event, plus
those following the discussions through the livestream. Participants included
representatives from 34 inter-governmental organizations, including the African
Union Commission and ECOWAS, more than 30 civil society and academic
organizations, and 28 private sector representatives.
Earlier in the day, the Director-General launched a set of investment guidelines for youth in
agrifood systems in Africa, together with the African Union
Commission. “These guidelines should be incorporated into your policies. Youth
are the future of Africa,” he said.
The Director-General also held a series of bilateral meetings with many of the
country representatives on the sidelines of the conference.
“As the son of a farming family, I always say I have rural
people in my heart, and on my mind . I want to see agricultural and rural
transformation in Africa address the multi-dimensional inequalities, between
city and rural areas, between men and women, and between rich and poor. It’s a
long journey. We need a life-long commitment and consistent action,” he said.
-By FAO
|Source: Online/SZK
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