The Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the Ministry of Food and the FAO Meeting the Undernutrition Challenge (MUCH) Project jointly organized, with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Union (EU), a “Consultation on the Second Country Investment Plan (CIP2) with Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations and Academia” at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) on 23 July 2017 following intensive consultations with different government sectors and beneficiaries at both national and sub-national levels since July 2016 - especially multi-sectoral farmers covering five different divisions of the country - and a consultative meeting with the private sector on 6 July 2017.

Building on the lessons and experience gained from the implementation of the first CIP on agriculture, food security and nutrition, the CIP2 will focus on sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems serving as a country-led planning, fund mobilization and alignment tool for sectoral and cross-sectoral food security and nutrition related investments and programmes in Bangladesh. The five-year CIP2 covers the fiscal years 2016/17 to 2020/21. The ongoing formulating process ensures that it is consistent with the provisions of the Seventh Five Year Plan (7FYP), Vision 2021, National Social Security Strategy (NSSS), Second National Nutrition Policy, and other commitments, including its endeavour towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The consultation was opened by Mr Md. Hajiqul Islam, Research Director, Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU), Ministry of Food, which was followed by Special Guest

Mr Golam Rahman, President, Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB), and another Special Guest Mr David Westerling, Deputy Director, Economic Growth Office and Team Leader, Feed the Future, United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Mr Rahman underlined the inclusive approach to the CIP process by engaging all relevant stakeholders in their sector-wise development initiatives through a combination of public and private investments, whilst Mr Westerling reiterated the commitment of USAID to the eradication of hunger and malnutrition as well as to achieving nutrition security in collaboration with multi-stakeholders.

In his presentation, Mr Naoki Minamiguchi, MUCH Chief Technical Advisor, emphasized the importance of taking nutrition-sensitive approaches to the investment plan as well as diversifying food production and consumption to achieve food and nutrition security. He also expounded on the five key Areas of Investment and related thirteen programmes of CIP2. The five areas are:

1)      Diversified and sustainable agriculture, fisheries and livestock for healthy diets;

2)      Efficient and nutrition-sensitive post-harvest transformation, value addition and supply;

3)      Improved dietary diversity, consumption and utilization;

4)      Enhanced access to social protection and safety nets and increased resilience; and

5)      Strengthened enabling environment and cross-cutting programmes for achieving food and nutrition security

The Consultation resulted in concrete recommendations from the participants who critically reviewed a draft of the CIP2 in five small groups formed according to the five Areas of Investment. The Government of Bangladesh and the MUCH Technical Assistance Team (TAT) will further refine the draft based on the feedback and suggestions received from the Consultation.

Attended by 58 national and international stakeholders, the consultation was closed with the remarks of Mr David W Doolan, FAO Representative a.i. in Bangladesh, pointing out the synergies created by the multi-stakeholders and their contribution to strengthening the collaboration between the Government of Bangladesh and development partners, including donors, CSOs, research institutions, and academia.