FAO and AUC meet to discuss strengthening collaboration on resilience building in Africa
Partners confirm commitment to achieving Malabo declaration goals
21 March 2017, Accra - Within the framework of the Malabo Declaration, African Union Commission and FAO experts have expressed strong determination to collaborate in the implementation of concrete programs of joint focus that address resilience building in Africa.
In a consultative meeting in Accra on 21 March 2017, Climate Change and Agriculture Adviser/AUC/DREA Ayalneh Bogale said ‘it is time to identify potential areas and opportunities for collaboration on resilience, agree on the implementation of priority actions that speak to regional frameworks and contribute to aspirations as articulated in the Malabo Commitments”.
Bogale also called for partnership in providing technical support and strengthening the capacity of member states and Regional Economic Communities to mainstream risk management and resilience building into their National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP).
The joint meeting, which discussed current AUC approach to resilience, identified key areas for close collaboration with FAO with an agreement for future discussion to specify a roadmap for action.
According to Shukri Ahmed, FAO Deputy Strategic Programme Leader on Resilience, the meeting helped to foster mutual understanding of ongoing programmes on resilience, identify areas of new opportunities for collaboration and further actions and steps to concrete collaborations.
On her part, Farayi Zimudzi FAO Delivery Manager, Regional Initiative on Resilience said resilience was about delivering results and expressed the hope that FAO and AUC would further strengthen their existing collaboration to build the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises.
The outcome of the AUC-DREA/FAO consultation will provide an impetus for the FAO Regional Office for Africa to review and refine its support in achieving the Malabo Declaration Commitments, especially Commitment 6 “enhancing resilience of livelihoods and production systems to climate variability and other related risks”.
FAO has, as part of its Strategic Framework, a Strategic Objective that focuses on increasing the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises. Within the framework of this Strategic Objective, a regional initiative that seeks to build resilience in Africa’s drylands has been under implementation since 2014.