About FAO and EU Partnership

The EU and FAO are driven by a mutual commitment to end poverty, hunger and malnutrition on the planet. This partnership is based on shared interests, a common vision, and joint efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Together, the EU and FAO leverage innovative approaches, tools and products that benefit the global community, while also serving as important agents of positive change for millions of people in developing, emerging and developed countries, including those in the European Union.

The EU and its Member States collectively are the largest provider of financial support to address global challenges, promote sustainable development, and assist countries in need. 

For the period 2021-2027 and under the brand Global Europe, the European Union will make EUR 80 billion available for development projects, humanitarian aid, peace-building efforts, and partnerships with countries around the world. The EU's contributions to partner countries encompass a wide range of areas, including poverty reduction, education, food security, health, and infrastructure development.

The European Union membership of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) underpins the unique relationship between the two organizations and serves as a base for a fruitful partnership. One key aspect of the current partnership is the support provided by the EU to FAO projects. By pooling resources and expertise, these two entities amplify their impact on a global scale and become a formidable force capable of driving positive change across the world in the agriculture and food sectors. 

The FAO-EU partnership stands as evidence of the transformative potential of international cooperation. The Strategic Dialogue meeting between the EU and FAO reinforces their partnership in international development. It is a vital periodic and forward-looking exercise that aims to define and adjust EU-FAO joint priorities in development cooperation for the short and medium-term. The Strategic Dialogue facilitates cooperation, coordination, and alignment of efforts to address global food security challenges, promote sustainable agriculture practices, and achieve broader development objectives. This dialogue serves as a platform for high-level discussions, exchange of ideas, and joint decision-making between the two organizations, leading to impactful actions and positive outcomes.

Some of the fruits of the FAO-EU cooperation include:

• Through the Action Against Desertification initiative, more than 51 000 hectares of degraded lands and drylands have been restored in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to accelerate actions to halt biodiversity loss and tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification (GCP/INT/157/EC);
• In Yemen, 27 000 households were assisted to diversify their livelihoods, enhance water resource management and improve key value chains, and the country’s food security information system and the government’s capacity to prioritize and formulate food security policies and strategies were strengthened (OSRO/YEM/606/EC);
• In Jordan, the creation of green job opportunities and the provision of relevant training positively impacted more than 105 000 Syrian refugees and the most vulnerable within host communities by improving their livelihoods while enhancing environmental conditions in the Zaatari municipality and the Mafraq Governorate (GCP/JOR/017/EC);
• In Malawi, the Afikepo programme contributed to increase and diversify women’s and children’s intake of safe and nutritious foods, reaching 2 million people, particularly by reducing the risk of malnutrition for 213 195 pregnant and lactating women, 343 303 children below 5 years and 181 074 adolescent girls (UNJP/MLW/071/EC);
• Thanks to the Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST) Programme, 38 national sectoral and cross-sectoral policies, strategies, framework laws and investment programmes for food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture were formulated and validated in 19 countries, of which 74% are now formally adopted by the governments (GCP/INT/244/EC); 
• In South Sudan, the humanitarian-development nexus in countries affected by food crises was supported by strengthening the livelihoods resilience of more than 281 000 pastoral and agropastoral households, and reducing conflict related to natural-resource management and livestock in the country’s cross-border areas with Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya and Uganda (OSRO/SSD/703/EC).