By Abdallah el-Kurebe

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (UNFAO) will hold its 29th session of the Regional Conference for Africa in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, which has a theme: “Transforming African Agri-food Systems for Inclusive Growth and a Shared Prosperity”, is billed to hold at Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire, from 4th to 8th April, 2016.

According to a statement by FAO, among those expected to attend the event, which would jointly be hosted by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and UNFAO are “ministers and other high level delegates from FAO Member States, partners, representatives of Civil Society Organizations in Africa and the media.”

“The Conference will begin with an Experts’ Meeting from 4 to 6 April 2016, which will focus on Regional and Global Policy and Regulatory Issues, in particularPublic Private Partnership for Inclusive Growth as well as Trends and issues in food and agriculture for regional and national action in the context of the SDGs,” the statement continued. 

Issues related to the Work Programme, the Budget, the Decentralization process and the multi-year programme of work of the Regional Conference would also be discussed, among other matters.

Thematic Side-Events on 6 April 2016 will range fromSuccesses in Nuclear Applications: African VetLab Network and Sterile Insect Technique by FAO/IAEA Division, the Development of an Action Programme to Address Food and Nutrition Challenges in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by FAO, and a High level discussion on the Follow-up to the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizers for an African Green Revolution by AUC/FAO.

The Ministerial Plenary Session will officially open on 7 April and a Ministerial Roundtable will take place on 8 April 2016 to discuss “Strengthening national and regional capacities to effectively implement commitments and increase investments made at national and continental level for the eradication of hunger and the transformation of food systems in Africa for an inclusive growth and shared prosperity” and means of increasing solidarity between countries, enhancing south-south cooperation and also boost the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF)”.

While the Conference would be preceded by a Regional consultation of Civil Society Organisations on 1st to 2nd of April 2016, at Hôtel Belle-Côte, Abidjan, an FAO-Côte d’Ivoire joint Press Conference would close the Regional Conference, on 8th April 2016.