FAO accelerates efforts to support landlocked developing countries

FAO participated today in the Comprehensive High-level Midterm review on the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) for the Decade 2014–2024. The plenary took place in the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

During the interactive panel on promoting trade, trade facilitation, and structural economic transformation in LLDCs, the Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations in New York, Carla Mucavi, raised the question of high food import bills and their negative impact on achieving sustainable development, especially with respect to LLDCs. The panel acknowledged the issue, suggesting further liberalization of trade, and access to private sector investments as potential solutions. FAO is trying to find alternatives to high food import bills by investing in domestic agriculture and encouraging local food production and supply.

In her statement, Ms Mucavi also referred to FAO’s actions aimed at investing in policies and best practices that can ensure food and nutrition security at household and community levels, while also promoting the sustainable use of natural resources.

One of these actions is the Hand-in-Hand initiative, which aims at "matchmaking" donors and recipients in order to support tailor-made efforts that assist vulnerable people in the countries most affected by food crises. In the same vein, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu announced today the establishment of a new Office for Small Island Developing States, Least-Developed Countries and LLDCs.

Click here to read the full statement.