HAND-IN-HAND (HIH) INITIATIVE: Key Facts
Context
Recently, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Director-General opened the third Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum.
About Hand-in-Hand Initiative : Launched in 2019, it is a flagship program of the FAO.
The initiative aims to:
Eradicate poverty (SDG1),
End hunger and malnutrition (SDG2),
Reduce inequalities (SDG10).
It focuses on accelerating market-based transformation of agri-food systems to:
Raise incomes,
Improve nutrition,
Empower vulnerable populations,
Strengthen resilience to climate change.
Member countries: 72 countries have joined, but India is not a member.
About FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) -
FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), leading global efforts to defeat hunger.
It is the oldest permanent specialized UN agency, founded in October 1945.
Mandate:
Improve nutrition,
Increase agricultural productivity,
Raise the standard of living in rural areas, and
Contribute to global economic growth.
Members: 194 Member States plus the European Union.
India has been a member since 1945, with the headquarters in Rome, Italy.