GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Monday July 26, 2010 – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will move one step closer to a food and nutrition security policy with a workshop to review the draft CARICOM Regional Policy for Food and Nutrition Security which begins today in Guyana. The two-day workshop for the validation of the policy is being coordinated by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations through funding from the Government of Italy and the European Commission.
Specialists in the field of agriculture, trade, health, nutrition, and representatives of regional institutions including Caribbean Agricultural Research Development Institute (CARDI) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), and international partners in development will determine whether the draft policy takes into consideration all the components that should be included in a regional framework for food and nutrition security.
“They will consider the adequacy of measures identified in the draft policy to address the constraints to food and nutrition security. In addition, the stakeholders will review plan of action for the implementation of the policy which outlines roles and functions of key stakeholders including government, sub-regional bodies, civil society, and farmers,” a CARICOM statement said.
This workshop forms part of the second phase of the FAO Food Security Policy project aimed at improving food security in CARICOM/CARIFORUM states through the strengthening of the food policy environment and the support of services to promote efficient and sustainable food systems.
The first phase of the project titled, Caribbean Regional Food Security Project was funded by the Government of Italy to the tune of US$4.9 million. Its objective was to improve the food security in CARICOM/CARIFORUM states by increasing the availability and access to adequate quantities of safe, quality assured food products to vulnerable groups and poor rural communities. This phase is also being funded by the Italian Government, this time, to the tune of US$4.07 Million.
It is anticipated that the draft policy will be presented for the consideration of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) when it meets later this year.
