Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and Regulations, Atty. Asis G. Perez and DA Climate Resilient Agriculture Office (CRAO) Director Alicia G. Ilaga, together with Agriculture Attaché and Deputy Permanent Representative to Rome-based UN Agencies on food and agriculture, Dr. Josyline C. Javelosa, recently joined fellow officials and representatives from various countries in validating the work plan for the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership during the FAST Partnership Members Meeting held from April 22 to 24, 2024 at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
FAST is a multi-stakeholder partnership aimed at catalyzing and accelerating the transformation of agriculture and food systems by 2030 for people, climate, and nature.
During the meeting, the DA officials engaged in series of consultations regarding FAST’s work plan, which covered the Partnership’s synergies with other initiatives, mechanisms, and international processes. They also participated in discussions that centered on the Partnership’s three pillars: access to climate finance and investment, knowledge and capacity, and policy support and dialogue.
The DA officials highlighted that the Philippines’ participation in the FAST initiative signifies the country’s commitment to achieving sustainable agriculture and a climate-resilient food system, recognizing the severe threats posed by the impacts of the changing climate to country’s agriculture sector.
The FAST initiative was launched by the COP27 Presidency in 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in response to largely insufficient availability and access to climate finance at both farm and country levels. The FAST Partnership Task Force is hosted by FAO, serving as a coordination and facilitation hub for the partnership.###