Laos, FAO hand-in-hand in achieving sustainable development goals

          The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will continue supporting Laos with the Hand-in-Hand Initiative (HIHI) to ensure no one is left behind in the nation achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
         To support the process for SDG 1 on No Poverty and SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and other associated SDGs, FAO is building a sophisticated open data-sharing platform for modeling and analysis, Director-General of FAO, Mr. Qu Dongyu told the media during his three-day visit to Vientiane last week.
        The initiative will help to bring member states, international organization, and partners, including the private sector, together to target investment and innovation for transformative change
        Mr. Qu Dongyu said “first, we seek to eradicate poverty and hunger. Our focus is enhancing agricultural productivity to improve nutrition, raise rural living standards and contribute to global economic growth in accord with FAO’s mandate.”
        FAO had committed to working together with priority countries to ensure national ownership and leadership striving to empower poor and vulnerable rural population, increase net earning from both farm and off-farm occupation, which was in line with the 2030 agenda and its recognition that equitable growth and inclusive structure transformation are key to lifting people out of poverty, he added.
       The organization would focus on the principle that the positive impact of the initiative should benefit as many stakeholders as possible through improved agricultural practices, through upgrading and diversification of post-production value chains that generate employment, especially for women and youth, and by strengthening models for diverse agri-food profits. Seeking to improve coordination by building on existing structures and synergies with other SDGs, FAO is working closely with potential resource partners through the process through monitoring and evaluating the initiative’s performance.
       While implementing this initiative will be done on a case by case basis, the FAO team are looking forward to working with  the government of Laos to become a prioritized country to strengthen partnerships with the private sector which cannot achieve impact at scale without private sector finance and investment, and also the know-how and the technology.” Mr. Qu Dongyu said.

News: Vientiane Times