The Government of Guyana and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed two important agreements today.
The Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Agriculture in Guyana signed the first document; the Country Programme Framework (CPF) which is an agreement between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and FAO that sets out the priority areas of work in which the two partners will engage during the period 2022 – 2026. Through the CPF, FAO’s Strategic Framework is translated into actions that contribute to the realization of the national development agenda. This document was developed in close collaboration with the Government and stakeholders.
The CPF is also aligned with the UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework MSDCF (2022-2026), the vehicle for defining the UN’s contribution and commitment to supporting national efforts to achieve economic, social, and environmental targets related to international and regional aspirations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also articulates FAO’s contribution to the MSDCF and describes how FAO will leverage its comparative advantage to foster synergies and increase effective collaboration efforts with other UN agencies.
Minister Zulfikar Mustapha while offering remarks said technical assistance from the FAO will play an integral role in Guyana’s efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals agenda and Vision 25 by 2025.
“This shows our priority areas that we, as a government and particularly as a ministry, are working to develop with assistance from the FAO. When we had the problem with the low catches, we engaged the FAO to assist with conducting a study to determine the reasons our fisherfolk were having low catches. That is one aspect of the corporation that Guyana has been engaged with the FAO on. The FAO Country Programme Framework will span from 2022 to 2026 and will allow for cooperation in other priority areas,” Minister Mustapha said.
Minister Mustapha explained that the transformation of sustainable agriculture’s food systems; resilient value chains; agricultural community-based disaster risk management; ICT in agriculture; and agriculture de-risking as thematic areas for FAO’s intervention underscoring the fact that those areas are well aligned with the CARICOM Agri-food system agenda which is being implemented by addressing the policies that will drive development in those thematic areas some of the priority areas identified for collaboration with the FAO.
The development and implementation of all programmatic interventions of this FAO Country Programme Framework will be guided by accelerators such as technology, innovation, data, and complements which include governance, human capital, and institutions.
While giving attention to cross-cutting themes such as gender and youth, Hon. Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations signed the second agreement which is the Memorandum of Responsibilities (MOR) for hosting the 38th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC 38). This document sets out the respective responsibilities to be assumed by the Government of The Co‑operative Republic of Guyana on the priority areas of support. Signing for FAO is Dr. Julio Berdegue, Assistant Deputy-Director for Latin America and the Caribbean who is in Guyana for the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo.
The Memorandum of Responsibilities (MOR) for hosting the 38th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC 38) sets out the respective responsibilities to be assumed by the Government of The Co‑operative Republic of Guyana on the priority areas of support. The Conference will be held in Georgetown during the first half of 2024, at a date to be decided by FAO. Guyana was selected after a unanimous endorsement to host the conference from all 33 member states present at LARC 37 which was held in Ecuador from March 28 to April 1, 2022. The Conference is an important forum, where member states meet, identify, and discuss the FAO work programme and provide guidance on the effective implementation of the FAO Strategic Framework in line with the regional priorities of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Dr. Berdegué said the agreements represent FAO’s commitment to support the priorities of the Government of Guyana as well as a formalization of a decision made by 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to host the upcoming FAO Regional Conference scheduled for 2024 in Georgetown, Guyana. “We’ve been working in this country for many, many years and will continue to be here as long as the people of Guyana believe that we have something to offer. In 2024, we will be celebrating or commemorating 20 years of the launching of the Jagdeo’s Initiative. It’s been 20 years since Guyana has been leading efforts for food security and revitalization of agriculture in this part of the world. This meeting that we’re having confirms that Guyana is the place to do that. No other country in the Americas is conducting a transformation of its agri-food systems to the extent, with the dynamism and to the level of political support that I’ve seen here in Guyana”, Dr. Berdegué said.
