Sudan and FAO launch four-year programme framework to enhance food and nutrition security

01:19 AM July, 25 2017

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US$ 72 million framework defines areas of programmatic focus



24 July, 2017 / Khartoum -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Sudan (GOS) signed today a four-year, US$ 72 million Country Programming Framework (CPF).

The CPF which spans the years 2017 to 2020, defines the following priorities for collaboration and the outcomes to be achieved by 2020: i) Enabling Policy and the Institutional Environment for Food Security and Nutrition; ii) Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management and iii) Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Building.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. Abdullatif Mohamed Ahmed Ijaimi, the Minister of Agriculture and Forests for Sudan, said, “The CPF represents the commitment of FAO in assisting the Government in its efforts to achieve national development objectives and to achieve food and nutrition security for the population.”

Stressing the importance of the Framework signed by the Organization and the Sudanese Minister of Agriculture and Forests, FAO’s Representative in Sudan, Babagana Ahmadu, said, “FAO rolls out its four-year programme after a broad range of consultations with the government, UN Agencies, Partners and civil society, to define the development priorities for the collaboration between the GOS and FAO in the fields of agriculture, food security and natural resources.”

Agriculture is the most important economic sector in Sudan, accounting for nearly one-third of the country’s National Gross Domestic Product. Around two-thirds of the population live off of agriculture, with about 80 percent of the local labour force gaining jobs through this sector. It also provides most of the inputs for transformative industries such as edible oils, sugar and fibers.

The CPF aims to support the development of many crucial elements of this country’s agricultural sector, including raising income and employment as well as enhancing food security and poverty reduction, while also increasing agricultural exports and adding further linkages between agriculture and other key economic sectors.

Focus on Sudan’s sustainable development

The CPF is aligned with Sudan’s national development objectives, which are articulated in its Quarter Centurial Development Strategy, National Development Plan, Comprehensive Food Security Policy and National Agriculture Investment Plan, in addition to FAO’s global and regional objectives.

As part of the CPF’s priority areas, FAO will work in close collaboration with the GOS to enhance the design and implementation of policies and the development of programmes to improve agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries, and to ensure food security and nutrition for all.

Furthermore, FAO will support the GOS in developing enhanced methods towards managing its natural resources through better planning and boosting agricultural production by connecting various players in the sector to local, regional, and international influencers along the value chain. Finally, the CPF will work with the GOS to make the country less vulnerable to climate change and to better sustain affected persons in areas of conflict and environmental concern.

The Government of Sudan and FAO will implement the programme with support from the wider spectrum of stakeholders within the private sector, semi-government institutions and civil society.

US$ 17 million already mobilised

FAO has already sourced US$ 17 million, out of US$ 72 million that is required to implement the programmes and projects that are proposed in the Framework.

“We will continue working with the Government of Sudan to mobilize the remaining US$ 55 million through FAO’s Technical Corporation Programme (TCP) and Trust Funds from development partners, as well as from the Government’s budgetary allocations,” said Ahmadu.