Date: 19-21 September, 2016

Venue: Kigali Rwanda

Background

In September 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This will shape their development programmes in a transformational way for the next 15 years. At the last FAO Regional Conference for Africa, held in Abidjan in April 2016, many delegates asked the organization to assist countries in their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda in the field of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The successful achievement of the SDGs is closely associated with countries being able to address sustainable development in a holistic and comprehensive way across sectors, and in their capacity to monitor progress against targets set by the 2030 Agenda.

In the African region, the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods and the CAADP Implementation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2025 provide a new vision for agriculture, emphasizing the role of agriculture in contributing to broader strategies for structural economic transformation and inclusive growth. Achieving the SDGs in Africa is closely linked to the implementation of this new vision.

FAO has developed an approach aimed at enhancing the contributions of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to sustainable development and to address sustainability issues across these sectors. Based on a set of principles for Sustainable food and agriculture (SFA), FAO promotes policy dialogue and the development of joint and coordinated actions involving governmental bodies of different Ministries, the private sector and civil society. At regional and country levels, FAO is supporting this primarily through Regional Initiatives. 

Objective and Approach

The objective of the workshop is to discuss how the principles for Sustainable Food and Agriculture can promote joint action to strengthen the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to sustainable development, and to identify priorities for FAO's support at national and regional levels. The workshop will support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa’s agricultural transformation agenda, and identify priorities for action in the context of FAO’s Regional Initiative 2 (RI2) on “Sustainable Intensification of Production and Value Chain Development in Africa”.

The 3 day workshop will include plenary and work groups on Day 1, a fact-finding field visit to the Rulindo District on Day 2 and wrap up sessions on Day 3 which will outline the way forward in the implementation of the Regional Initiative in the nine countries. 

Expected outputs

The following outputs are expected from the workshop:

·        Increased understanding by participants of the potential contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to sustainable development, in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the Malabo Declaration.

·        Elements of actions of country-specific road maps aiming to enhance the contribution of sustainable food and agriculture to national development and to address key sustainability issues.

·       Ways to support country-specific actions through FAO’s Regional Initiative RI2 for Africa.

Delegates

Participants in the workshop will be around 40; comprising of delegates from the nine countries served by RI2, namely: Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire DR Congo, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia, senior government officials from agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and associated trade, finance and economic planning departments, FAO Representatives, representatives from civil society and the private sector from the countries of the FAO Regional Initiative RI2.

Language

English and French during the plenary sessions