FANRPAN Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network Speech the 5 th FANRPAN Partners Meeting, May 2013 Opening Remarks by Mme Lynette Chen, FANRPAN Board Member 30 May 2013 I recognise our dignitaries: Excellences here present Distinguished senior officials from government and in particular our host government, the government of the Republic of South Africa and the Agricultural Research Council who host our Regional Secretariat Representatives from the United Nations agencies Our funding partners, from bilateral, multilateral and private foundations, and those that are yet to join us Our technical partners from National and International Research Institutions, Universities, The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, the African Union, New Partnership for Africa's Development, Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) The media fraternity here present The Business and Agribusiness community both in their individual capacities and as representatives of various chambers of commerce 1
Our partners implementing projects jointly with us Most importantly, the farming community On behalf of the FANRPAN Board Chairman, Hon. Sindiso Ngwenya and my colleagues in the FANRPAN Board, (1) Mr. Ajay Vashee; (2) Madam Cecilia Khupe; (3) Dr Enos Shumba; (4) Madam Margaret Nyirenda; (5) Mr Ngoni Masoka; (6) Mr Andile Hawes; (7) Madam Angel Khumalo We are honoured to have you all, our valued partners joining us today, to celebrate Africa day the FANRPAN way. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the FANRPAN 2013 Partners Meeting. We at FANRPAN are particularly honoured by your presence as we hold our partners in very high regard. It is heartening to see some familiar faces. 2013, according to the African Union, is a year of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. We at FANRPAN welcome and embrace this theme as we celebrate our partnership and growth. FANRPAN is a network, whose membership is in 16 soon 17 African countries, with Benin joining the Network this year. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is because of such platforms such as this one that we get an opportunity to learn from others and share with others. FANRPAN s vision for 2013 is leadership development and innovation. A critical element we need in today s globally connected and changing environment. 2
Today, we are here to share and interact as partners in agriculture and rural development with a single goal of ensuring a food secure Africa, let this not just be a slogan, but something we bring to bear. Let us stand resolute and be bold enough to declare that through appropriate policies Africa will become food security. Permanent agricultural recovery for Africa is about good policies, strong institutions and partnerships. Let us deliberate today on how together we can make this happen. In recognition of the fact that FANRPAN is a multi-stakeholder regional think tank, the development of appropriate FANR policies cannot be the responsibility of a single stakeholder. The network members consist of Farmer organisations, private sector, research organisations and governments that have a stake in food, agriculture and natural resources (FANR). FANRPAN has strengthened its capacity by entering into partnerships with like-minded organisations at national, regional and global levels; and you are the strategic partners. The diversity of the partnerships are a testimony of FANRPAN s mission to promote effective FANR policies. As we celebrate Africa Day, Ladies and Gentleman, let us be cognisant of the on-going food security challenges. These challenges present us with an opportunity for Africa to review its policies and put in place long term strategies that will make the region the world s food basket. I am sure some of you are asking; what did FANRPAN do since we met at last year s partners meeting and what has been the impact? You will remember that the 2012 partners meeting celebrated the FANRPAN Africa-wide mandate. The Chairman of FANRPAN Board of Governors, Hon. Sindiso Ngwenya, hosted 78 delegates at the Annual FANRPAN Partners' Meeting, which was held on 31 May 2012 at the CSIR International 3
Convention Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. Later on, ladies and gentlemen, we will show you a video of what happened. The Theme was: It is time for Africa, It is time for FANRPAN. At a regional level, we hosted the 2012 FANRPAN Annual High Level Regional Food Security Policy Dialogue in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 03 07 September 2012. The theme was From Policy to Practice: Advocating for the Active Engagement of Youth in Agriculture Value Chains. This successful policy dialogue was attended by 253 delegates from 23 countries. At Global level, during the UNFCCC Conference of Parties in Doha last year, FANRPAN in partnership with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research; Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation; Qatar National Food Security Foundation and the World Bank co-hosted a side event to advocate the inclusion of agriculture in the UNFCCC policy framework. The ALL5-Day was held in conjunction with Forest Day 6 under the theme of Living Landscapes, which looked at the interconnections between forests and agriculture and their impacts on people and society. Experts, practitioners, civil society, researchers and government officials gathered in Doha, Qatar to discuss issues related to food security, climate change and rural development on 3 December at ALL-5 Day. This event was attended by over 400 people. Seven hundred (700) people tuned into the live webcast of the event and thousands more interacted via social media. FANRPAN s CEO, Dr Sibanda was the event moderator for the whole day. At a secretariat level, Staff held a planning workshop beginning of the year, from 04 to 08 February 2013. The workshop was attended by the Hon. Sindiso Ngwenya (Chairman: FANRPAN Board of Governors), the CEO of FANRPAN, and staff members of the Regional Secretariat. The purpose of 4
the workshop was to reflect on FANRPAN s performance in 2012 and plan its strategy activities for 2013. At node level, FANRPAN held its Annual Node Visioning Workshop in Maseru, Lesotho from 24 to 28 February 2013. The Workshop was attended by FANRPAN Regional Secretariat and 14 FANRPAN Node Coordinators. The purpose of the workshop was to reflect on FANRPAN s performance in 2012, align the Network s vision and goals, and plan its activities for 2013. Participants deliberated on their collective and individual areas of responsibility and took the opportunity to begin deliberations on FANRPAN s new strategy. These are just examples of what we did. Other than these events, FANRPAN participated in different array of national, regional and global engagements relating to its strategic objectives of: Policy research and analysis Policy advocacy Capacity building and institutional strengthening As testimony of FANRPAN s impact globally, FANRPAN was ranked in 2012, one of the world s top think tanks. FANRPAN was rated by its international peers in the Global Go To Report Think Tank Index. This annual survey is conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in the United States with a total of 6,603 think tanks from 182 countries invited to participate. I do not want to take away the fire from the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda and her team who have an action packed program for us. However, allow me to articulate two things that we can get from this FANRPAN Partnership day. 5
Firstly, the FANRPAN secretariat would like to share highlights of programmes for 2013 and hear from you how best they can enhance their impact in attaining the overall goal of a food secure Africa. Secondly, the network is about growth, if you are already not part of the network this is the time to formalise your partnership because there is a stake and niche for all stakeholders who want to eradicate poverty in Africa. I therefore encourage you to share what you are doing and to leverage on FANRPAN s Africa-wide initiatives. Let me end by inviting you to the annual FANRPAN multi-stakeholder regional food security policy dialogue which is the annual, supreme, not-to-be-missed event where we will be dialoguing on Climate Smart Agriculture. Let us meet in Maseru, Lesotho, 2 6 September as we champion the fight against poverty and create a sustainable base for Africa s development. I THANK YOU 6