On 30 April 2021, New Zealand, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), officially signed an agreement to contribute funds to the Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism (FMM) — FAO’s main mechanism for mobilizing, programming and managing pooled, flexible and less-earmarked resources to strengthen the achievement of its Strategic Objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The agreement, which was signed by FAO’s Deputy Director-General Elizabeth A. Bechdol and New Zealand’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative H.E. Anthony George Simpson, commits nearly NZD 5 million (around USD 3.5 million) to the current FMM phase for the period 2018-2021, with the flexibility to the use of any unspent funds for implementing the FMM sub-programmes in the next phase (2022—2025).

Through the FMM, New Zealand’s contribution will support FAO’s work in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, in the context of FAO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme. It will help build the resilience of rural communities and enhance economic inclusion and social protection for poverty reduction and food security. More specifically, the funding will be directed to the following three FMM programmes:

• Resilience and sustainable food systems
• Generational gaps, women empowerment and decent rural employment
• Climate change and agriculture

"Thank you, New Zealand, for your vital flexible contribution that will play an essential role in tackling today’s complex challenges, as well as sustainably transforming our agri-food systems," said FAO Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol.

With this contribution, New Zealand becomes the tenth FMM resource partner and a member of the FMM Advisory Group; providing strategic guidance on the best ways to enhance the ability of FAO and its partners and members to effectively address issues related to food and agriculture, respond better to today’s fast changing challenges, and contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“New Zealand is committed to supporting our global family during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; our contribution to the FAO through the FMM resource amplifies our shared response and recovery efforts, and will help strengthen community resilience to meet the Sustainable Development Goals,” said New Zealand Ambassador and Permanent Representative, H.E. Anthony George Simpson.

FAO + New Zealand: A long-lasting partnership

In recent years, New Zealand’s strategic support of various FAO normative and technical projects has proven the country’s commitment towards food security and agricultural development. This has included contributions, amounting to USD 17.6 million in the 2014-2020 period, towards resilience building and emergency response, particularly in the Asia and the Pacific region, as well as development activities promoting sustainable resource management and agri-food systems.

In 2020, the importance of flexibility to effectively address the challenges faced by our agri-food systems became more evident than ever. With its first contribution to the FMM, New Zealand expands the reach of its support to vulnerable populations and responds to the global community’s call for increased flexible funding to tackle the world’s most pressing threats. This will allow the Organization to act in a coordinated and agile manner, while directing its activities to those most in need.