Djibouti, 27-01-2015: IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) today opened the Second Workshop of the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG) along with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Djibouti Ministry of Agriculture at the Djibouti Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The main objective of this workshop is to revise the terms of reference of the FSNWG and its institutional arrangement to respond to the changing needs of IGAD, member countries, and food and nutrition security stakeholders. This will ensure that FSNWG is fully institutionalized and linked to national food and nutrition security coordination systems.
The Representative of FAO to Djibouti and IGAD highlighted the full commitment of FAO to the process so the working group achieves its goals.
Dr. Guleid Artan, Head of ICPAC, in his statement on behalf of the Executive Secretary of IGAD, encouraged the participants to work together to come up with a produce that will be submitted to a ministerial level endorsement as the next step to the process. “The design of FSNWG from a humanitarian platform exchange to a strategic and operational framework requires a profound review of the existing terms of reference and a full commitment of all partners upstream and downstream”, he said.
Before declaring the workshop officially open, Mr. Ismael Habanneh, Technical Advisor to the Djibouti Minister of Agriculture, briefed the audience about the efforts by the government of Djibouti in its struggle against malnutrition.
On top of IGAD member countries, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania, are partaking the workshop.
The Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG) is a platform for sharing information on Food Security and Nutrition, building a consensual situation analysis, and bringing together a broad number of stakeholders for advocacy and response. It is co-chaired by IGAD and FAO East and Central Africa Sub-regional office (REOA) and serves regional government, donor, and non-government agencies since the early 2000’s. Current membership includes approximately 80 organizations (IGAD, UN agencies, NGOs, donors, research institutions). Members contribute to the operation and content of the working group and its subgroups.
