Participants (Photo: ©FAO/Sia KAMBOU)

1-2 April 2016, Abidjan - The regional consultation of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) took place ahead of the FAO Regional Conference due in Abidjan from 4 to 8 April 2016. They met with the purpose to ensure a commitment and a broader support to discussions and decision-making processes of FAO at regional level. The regional consultation was attended by some 40 participants, including main representatives of the civil society, namely, farmers, small-scale fishermen, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, landless people, rural workers, and particularly women and youth.

The objective of this regional forum is to bring together CSOs to discuss specific items on the agenda of the Conference and key issues for the region in order to come up with recommendations for the FAO Regional Conference for Africa to be held from 4 to 8 April 2016 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

« On behalf of HE Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d' Ivoire, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Daniel Kablan Duncan, Head of Government, I would like to extend a warm welcome in Ivory Coast to all the delegations from across the continent », said the Ivorian Minister of Water and Forests, Mr. Louis-André Dacoury Tabley.

The Civil Society members will participate in the Conference and will contribute to decisions taken by FAO Member-countries on the regional priorities and in the planning of activities to be undertaken by the Organization with the countries.

The expected results of the CSOs’ Consultation

A declaration by the Group on their role in the SDGs, food and nutrition security, agro-ecology and climate change resilience will be presented during the Ministerial session of the Regional Conference, next week.

« Regarding the item on the Public-Private-Partnerships for an inclusive growth, FAO intends to share the successful cases in which public and private actors have collaborated to transform agri-food systems », explained Mr. Bukar Tijani, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa.

The in-depth knowledge of the CSOs on the topics of the Regional Conference in relation to food security and nutrition contributes to defining regional positions on global policy and regulatory issues as relevant to FAO’s mandate.

Their strong commitment to rural communities and to the fulfilment of FAO’s mandate to reducing poverty and eliminating food insecurity in Africa, as well as their transparency, independence of opinion and sense of fair representation, help to identify specific issues and priority areas of work that need to be taken into account in the programme of work and budget planning of the Organization.

Photos

Useful link: Partnerships in action (FAO)

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Media Contact

• Marina Koua Mea, Communication, FAO-Côte d’Ivoire, Cell:+225 57 10 09 24.
• Hyacine KacouAmondji, Communication, FAO Central Africa, Cell. +225 87 57 29 44.
• Liliane Kambirigi, Communication, Regional Office, Cell. +225 87 31 62 47.