Gov't and FAO sign agreements for Country Programme Framework and hosting of FAO regional conference

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and Assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation Julio Berdegue have signed the Country Programme Framework (CPF). The CPF is an agreement between the Government and the FAO which sets out the priority areas of work in which they will engage during the period 2022 – 2026.

Through the CPF, FAO’s Strategic Framework is translated into actions that contribute to the realisation of the national development agenda and was developed in close collaboration with the Government and Stakeholder. The areas for cooperation include the transformation to more sustainable agriculture food systems, resilient value chains and agriculture communities with enhancement of management capacity, increase use of digitization and ICT to enhance efficiency and competitiveness in agriculture and lastly, de-risking the agriculture food system. Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said this signing is important, "This here show our priorities in certain areas that we as a Government and particularly as a ministry that we want FAO to help us in those areas.”

Signing of the agreement between Agriculture Minister and FAO Assistant Secretary General.

Meanwhile, Assistant Director General of the FAO Dr. Julio Berdegue said this shows the FAO’s continued support to the Government’s priorities for 2022 to 2026. "We have been working with this country for many years, we will continue to be here as long as the Government and the people of Guyana believe that we have something to offer to this country.“ The other agreement relates to the Memorandum of Responsibilities for the hosting of the 38th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024 in Guyana. The Conference will be held in Georgetown during the first half of 2024, at a date to be decided by FAO.

Foreign Minister and FAO Assistant Secretary General.

It was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd and FAO’s Assistance Director General Dr. Julio Berdegue. “The other document that we signed with Minister Todd, is really formalization of a decision not by FAO but by thirty three countries of Latin America and the Caribbean whose Government’s decided that the next regional conference will take place here in Georgetown," Dr. Berdegues said. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hugh Todd noted that the Government is committed to working within the two framework that was agreed upon.