Thematic Solution Forum 7

Accelerating country-led progress towards zero hunger (SDG 2) through joint and complementary efforts of the Rome-Based UN Agencies (FAO, WFP, IFAD)

 

Objectives and Thematic Focus

• Overview of “key milestones” that are needed to make zero hunger a reality by 2030, and the contribution that South-South and triangular cooperation can make.
• Reflection of each agencies’ contribution towards this end, and on opportunities for complementarity of the RBA’s efforts in facilitating South-South and triangular cooperation for zero hunger.

 

Aspects to be explored during this session can include:

Overview of different organizational approaches to promote the achievement zero hunger through South-South and triangular cooperation:

IFAD: South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) has increasingly been recognized as a mutually reinforcing component of IFAD’s business model for contributing to better rural livelihoods in developing countries. In fact, SSTC is embedded as a priority area in IFAD’s Strategic Framework 2016-2025 and in the IFAD10 replenishment commitments. At the first meeting of the IFAD11 replenishment consultation in February 2017, SSTC was again underlined as a key area of importance for the IFAD11 period (2019-2021).

FAO: FAO’s SSC strategy of 2013 aims at mainstreaming SSTC as an effective delivering mechanism of FAO’s mandate and strategic objectives, both at headquarters as well as regional, sub-regional and country offices in the field. FAO’s SSTC strategy set out a broad vision aiming at making progress in four areas, including facilitating exchanges of development solutions at the grassroots level, promoting SSTC knowledge networks and platforms at the institutional level, providing upstream policy support at highest policy level and fostering an enabling environment for effective SSTC. The 40^th FAO conference held in July 2017 further consolidated these efforts and its strategy in action by approving the transition of the SSC unit to the Partnerships and South-South Cooperation Division (DPS). This move will contribute to better aligning FAO’s work on SSTC with governments, non-state actors, civil society, private sector, academia, parliamentarians, and farmer’s organizations.

WFP: Further to WFP’s Policy on South-South and Triangular cooperation, facilitating SSTC is a way to expand WFP’s engagement with developing countries to support country-led progress towards SDG 2. In the context of WFP’s work with host governments, South–South cooperation can be an important source of support for nationally owned efforts, especially in three main areas: (1) Strengthening country capacities by facilitating countries’ cooperation with each other and strengthening country systems in areas such as social protection and safety nets and food security analysis, value chain development and support to smallholder farmers, supply chain processes, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and resilience, nutrition;(2) Joining forces with South-South and triangular partners including through in-kind or cash contributions, twinning arrangements, technology transfer, or joint advocacy support to inspire the adoption of sustainable pathways towards achieving zero hunger; and (3) Inspiring innovation as South-South cooperation can facilitate the identification of potential prototypes and their testing in real-world conditions.

 

Key mechanisms and achievements towards SDG 2 through SSTC:

IFAD: During IFAD’s Executive Board (EB) held in December 2016, the Fund’s refreshed strategy on South-South and Triangular Cooperation was welcomed by the EB and several countries have expressed support to furthering SSTC activities across countries in which IFAD is implementing projects. In order to promote and advance the SSTC activities within the Fund and to respond to its member’s request to increase such activities, IFAD is also planning to create an ad hoc SSTC Facility, starting from 2018.

FAO: FAO’s SSTC was officially initiated in1996, and a specific unit dedicated to SSTC was set up in 2012, which has helped boost FAO’s SSTC activities. In the past decades, FAO has mobilized over USD 370 million from more than 30 resource partners and near 200 MoUs and project agreements have been signed. SSTC projects have been implemented in over 90 countries, and currently 37 SSTC projects are ongoing. FAO SSTC projects can be categorized, by funding resource, into trust fund project, unilateral trust fund project, triangular cooperation project and regular fund project. The major modalities of FAO’s SSTC include deploying expert to target countries; organizing study tours, training course, workshops, and policy dialogues.

WFP: WFP promotes SSTC through a diversified approach to South-South modalities, including WFP’s network of Centres of Excellence in partnership with Brazil and China, expert deployments, intra-regional collaboration, demonstration sites, peer coaching networks, policy dialogue, technology transfer, academic partnerships or options for joint emergency response. To date, 62% of WFP Country Offices are engaged in brokering and supporting host governments on South-South initiatives.

 

Contribution and complementarity of each agency’s approach within the RBA partnership on SSC:

The Rome-Based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD and WFP) have similar mandates, with each one bringing in different but complementary strengths that make the RBA partnership and support to host governments in efforts to achieve SDG 2 very valuable. The last part of the presentation will explore those complementary strengths and unlock opportunities for further collaboration.

 

Concrete Outcomes:

• Options for a possible joint RBA “roadmap” towards BAPA+40” through collaboration on brokering South-South and triangular cooperation with a focus on SDG 2.
• The roadmap could include elements such as an action plan with concrete deliverables, suggestions for joint events (e.g. SSC Day) leading up towards BAPA+40, publications, knowledge platforms, but also joint operational collaboration on the ground by leveraging on each organization’s strength (e.g. identification of joint collaboration project with a complementary SSC component).

 

Agenda

Moderator: Ms. Xiaojun Grace Wang, Deputy Director of the United Nations Office for South-South and Triangular Cooperation

Opening Remarks by Mr. Jorge Chediek, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on South-South Cooperation and Director of the United Nations Office for South-South and Triangular Cooperation

Session I: Overview of organizational approaches to promote the achievement of zero hunger through South-South and triangular cooperation

Participants:

• Dr. Dongxin Feng, Deputy Director, Partnership and South-South Cooperation Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• Mr. Ashwani Muthoo, Director, Global Engagement, Knowledge and Strategy Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Mr. Kenn Crossley, Deputy Director, Policy and Programme Division, World Food Programme (WFP)

Session II: Key mechanisms and achievements towards zero hunger through South-South and Triangular Cooperation

Participants:

• Dr. Dongxin Feng, Deputy Director, Partnership and South-South Cooperation Division, FAO
• Dr. Sixi Qu, Director, China Centre for Excellence, WFP
• Ms. Dina Saleh, Country Programme Manager for Georgia and Turkey, Near East, North Africa and Europe Division, IFAD (TBC)
• Dr. Ufuk Tansel Sireli, Professor on Food Security, University of Ankara (TBC)

Session III: Joint Initiative on RBA – SSC Roadmap: An action plan towards BAPA+40

Briefing on the RBA – SSC Roadmap:

• Dr. Dongxin Feng, Deputy Director, Partnership and South-South Cooperation Division, FAO
• Mr. Ashwani Muthoo, Director, Global Engagement, Knowledge and Strategy Division, IFAD
• Mr. Kenn Crossley, Deputy Director, Policy and Programme Division, WFP

Session IV: Question & Answer

• All panelists

Closing Remarks

• Ms. Xiaojun Grace Wang, Deputy Director of the United Nations Office for South-South and Triangular Cooperation

 

 

Moderator

 

 

Opening Remarks

 

 

Panelists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focal Point Contact Details

Overall Coordinator: Lars Thomann, SSC Unit (DPSS), FAO, lars.Thomann@fao.org, +39 0657053542; Elena Bertusi, SSTC Consultant, IFAD, e.bertusi@ifad.org, +39 0654592468; JIA Yan, SSTC Focal Point, WFP, yan.jia@wfp.org, +39 0665136523

Communications Focal Point: Alberto Trillo Barca, SSC Unit (DPSS), FAO, alberto.trillobarca@fao.org, +39 0657052334; David Paqui, Regional Communications Officer, IFAD, d.paqui@ifad.org, +39 0654592213; Adriana Bianco, SSC Team, WFP, adriana.bianco@wfp.org, +39 0665133488