Technical Consultation -cum- Capacity Building Workshop on SDG Indicator 2.a.1: Agriculture Orientation Index (AOI) for Government Expenditures

5-8 November 2018 Rome, Italy.

Increasing investment in agriculture is a means of implementation of SDG Goal 2: Zero Hunger. SDG Indicator 2.a.1 supports monitoring government expenditure on agriculture towards the achievement of Target 2.a, which aims to “increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries.”

SDG Indicator 2.a.1 compares the central government’s contribution to agriculture relative to the sector’s contribution to the economy, where agriculture includes forestry and fishing.

Technical Consultation -cum- Capacity Building Workshop is being organized by FAO, the custodian agency for the indicator, in partnership with IMF and regional agencies. The event will be attended by some 15 countries representing all regions, including both reporting and non-reporting countries.

The meeting is divided into two phases: a Technical Consultation and a Capacity Building Workshop. The Consultation will focus on identifying the challenges faced by countries in compiling the data on Government Expenditure on Agriculture (GEA) using the Classification of the Function of Government (COFOG), and the ways in which FAO can better support countries. The Capacity Building will focus on hands-on exercises. The trainees are expected to undergo an e-learning course prior to Workshop, and will work on their country’s data during the event.

The Workshop will be catalytic in further dissemination of knowledge in South-South Cooperation mode.  During the event, participants will learn from FAO and IMF experts, and share their experiences in compiling government expenditure data. At the end of the workshop, they will have the capacity to report Indicator 2.a.1 for their country, and be able to support other countries in their regions.