On 4 and 5 December, representatives from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Brazilian Government gathered in Rome for a joint South-South Cooperation (SSTC) Strategy Workshop. The organizations shared information on operations, aligning understanding on key principles and discussing comparative advantages of each partner. The institutions were also able to start outlining a joint initiative on home-grown school feeding.
Participants from the WFP headquarters, regional bureaux and Brazil worked in identifying potential collaboration opportunities and priorities for all parties. This effort will potentially lead to additional collaboration in 2024, culminating in a joint SSTC programme between the agencies and Brazil. “Brazil, as a recognized SSTC champion and holder of vast knowledge in food security policies, is a valuable partner for the agencies based in Rome. By strengthening our collaboration, we are delivering better support to the countries we work with and more sustainable programmes for the people who need the most”, said Vinicius Limongi, Head of Programme at the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil.