FAO and China present a cooperation plan of USD 2 million for post-COVID-19 recovery in CELAC countries
Santiago, September 30. This Thursday the Steering Committee of the CELAC-FAO-China Cooperation presented the project plan “Response and recovery to the impact of COVID-19 on rural livelihoods and food systems.
The initiative, which was signed in January between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of the People's Republic of China, has a budget of USD 2 million and will benefit the 12 member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in the recovery of rural livelihoods and post-pandemic agri-food systems.
Representatives of the new pro tempore presidency of CELAC, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of China and representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) attended the meeting from both the South-South Cooperation of the headquarters as well as of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
During the meeting, the work plan that will be promoted in the member countries (Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) was presented.
Through the project, the transformation of agrifood systems and the strengthening of the resilience and sustainability of livelihoods based on agriculture and food in the 12 CELAC member countries will be supported. In addition, actions that have a clear potential to assist the most vulnerable populations, particularly in rural areas, towns and small cities, will be prioritized.
In this regard, the cooperation will help the countries of the region to advance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular SDG 1 (End Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for achieve the Development Goals).
Luiz Beduschi, Territorial Development Policy Officer pointed out: “We have high expectations of the work that will be developed with this cooperation agreement in terms of resources and knowledge, which will be available to the CELAC countries to move towards more efficient territories, productive, sustainable and resilient”.
FAO-China Project in the Region
The agreement also seeks to mobilize technical cooperation from China and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, mainly experiences, capacities and knowledge related to the digitalization of agriculture, electronic commerce and rural digitalization.
The project will also facilitate the exchange of experiences on post-COVID-19 responses, recovery policies and programs that facilitate better decision-making.
Another relevant aspect will be support for national efforts to promote digitalization and electronic commerce strategies among family farmers and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The design and establishment of the Digital Agriculture and Rural Development Platform between CELAC, China and FAO is also planned to support countries in the medium term, through association with other partners.
The FAO-China South-South Cooperation Program, which was established in 2009, is currently in its phase III. The programme facilitates the exchange of knowledge and experiences between China and other countries of the global South.
- https://www.fao.org/partnerships/south-south-cooperation/news/es/
- Digital Agriculture and Rural Development Platform