The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Vision International (WVI) have renewed their long-standing partnership by signing a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at FAO Headquarters in Rome. The agreement aims to address food insecurity, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture, with a particular focus on vulnerable children.

The renewed agreement builds on over a decade of collaboration between FAO and WVI, which has fostered shared knowledge and expertise in addressing food insecurity. Under this renewed partnership, both organizations will:

• Advocate for and implement measures to reduce hunger and malnutrition.
• Enhance programming in anticipatory action and climate and environmental sustainability to safeguard lives and livelihoods.
• Collaborate on cash and voucher programming and microfinance to strengthen community resilience. 

FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol and WVI President and CEO Andrew Morley were the signatories of the MoU, reinforcing the commitment of both organizations to tackle pressing global challenges.

“This agreement builds on our strong collaboration. Together, we will continue to fight hunger, strengthen agricultural production and livelihoods, and enhance resilience for the most vulnerable in fragile contexts,” said DDG Bechdol.

WVI President and CEO, Andrew Morley, said: “As we push forward with our ambitious ENOUGH campaign, we stand firmly alongside the FAO with a shared vision to end hunger and malnutrition for every child, everywhere. This new agreement builds on a longstanding and productive partnership, which has already transformed countless children’s lives through livelihoods, resilience and agriculture. We must now go further and build on this work, ensuring children are well-fed, healthy, well-educated, happy and empowered to achieve their God-given potential in life.”

The FAO-WVI partnership has been pivotal in fostering resilience and enhancing food security for over a decade. This MoU marks a renewed effort to combine existing initiatives with new approaches, particularly in addressing emergencies and climate resilience. For example, in Zimbabwe WVI is part of a consortium where FAO is leading on providing technical expertise, solutions and guidance to improve land and forest management and safeguard land degradation – as part of the Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme.

FAO and WVI will continue to leverage their expertise and resources to address critical issues such as supporting agricultural livelihoods, improve food security and enhance nutrition. With a renewed focus on emergency and resilience efforts, the partnership seeks to create sustainable and lasting impacts in communities facing adversity.

About World Vision International

WVI is a global development and humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, families, and communities. Through its work in nearly 100 countries, WVI focuses on issues such as poverty alleviation, disaster response, education, healthcare, and child protection, with a commitment to empowering vulnerable populations and fostering sustainable development.