Triangular Cooperation joins Academia to spark innovation for more resilient agri-food systems

22 June 2021 – The second partners’ consultation meeting of a Triangular Cooperation initiative involving the Belgian University of Liège, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) took place virtually on 21 and 22 June 2021. 

The first day began with a keynote address by speakers from the three organizations, as well as interventions from representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China (MARA), the Belgian Development Agency, Enabel, and the Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI).

In his opening remarks, Mr. Anping YE, Director of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division of FAO, noted the inclusive nature of South-South and Triangular Cooperation modalities, which can involve traditional partners and non-state actors, such as academia, the private sector, foundations, development banks, and others. He remarked that “youth are key pillars for innovation” and it is with this understanding that PST is promoting the triangular cooperation Initiative involving young doctoral students from the academia.

Following the opening remarks, FAO, CAAS, and the University of Liège presented their updates since the first partners’ consultation meeting, which took place in 2019 at CAAS Headquarters in Beijing. Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, noted that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative continues to be relevant and FAO is committed to its role as a facilitator, connecting innovation generated in universities with the need, on the ground, for more resilient agri-food systems.

The Triangular Cooperation initiative would be in line with the recently approved new FAO’s Strategic Framework, which has innovation as one of its cross-cutting/cross sectional accelerators, and youth as one of the cross-cutting themes. By linking the innovation generated by young PhD students/ fellows to FAO’s work, the Organization could support its member nations from developing countries in accessing new technologies and innovative developments.

Regarding opportunities to further promote and strengthen this Triangular Cooperation Initiative, Mr Carlos Watson, FAO Representative in China, introduced the upcoming FAO-CAAS Innovation Center and mentioned the possibilities of linking this Initiative to the Center. He reiterated, “as for the Triangular Cooperation, the center will play a key role as knowledge broker and disseminator to connect Triangular providers and seekers..”

Furthermore, participants appreciated the Triangular cooperation modality of the initiative, as it offers an effective way to coordinate efforts, avoid their duplication, and target joint interventions for higher impact. At the end of the second day, all three parties worked on a timeframe for the initiative’s next steps, including joint resource mobilization efforts.

Finally, all organizations agreed to develop a strong coordination mechanism and to maintain momentum for this innovative Triangular Cooperation Initiative that aims to strengthen partnerships with academic institutions to attract innovation to FAO's work through SSTC and support host countries towards achieving more resilient agri-food systems.

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