Senior Dutch official visits the UN Rome-based agencies in

The Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Rome-based agencies (FAO, IFAD and WFP) came to Bangladesh on an official visit from November 19-21st.

Ms. Gerda Verburg is a Dutch diplomat, former politician and trade union leader. She has been the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN agencies in Rome since July 2011. Ms. Verburg was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1998 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2011. She further served as Minister of Agriculture in the Dutch coalition cabinet from 2007 to 2010.

The purpose of Ms. Verburg's visit was to acquaint herself with the country programmes of FAO, WFP and IFAD in Bangladesh and to learn how their activities are appreciated by the Government. The Netherlands is an important donor to all three agencies; it sponsors numerous initiatives and the scope of its support has been increasing in recent years given the difficult conditions in which many people of Bangladesh live and the country’s high vulnerability to climate change.

During her visit, which was coordinated by FAO with the support of WFP and IFAD, Ms. Verburg met with staff of the different agencies as well as high-profile representatives from the Government of Bangladesh, including the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Food, Minister of Fisheries & Livestock, and Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

1

She also visited a number of projects currently being implemented through collaborative initiatives. In Dhaka, Ms. Verburg was accompanied to see the FAO food safety laboratory, followed by a visit to a school feeding program run by WFP in the city’s urban slums.

On Tuesday, November 20th, a delegation from the Dutch embassy and the three agencies flew down to the southern district. Barisal is part of the delta region of Bangladesh. Along with the rest of the coastal zone, Barisal is prone to multiple threats such as cyclones, storm surges and floods, as well as earthquakes, tsunamis, and above all, climate change. The government has identified the zone as an “agro-ecologically disadvantaged region” (GoB, 2005). Other challenges include scarcity of drinking water, land erosion, high groundwater arsenic content, waterlogging, water and soil salinity and various forms of pollution, all of which have limited social and economic developments in the area.

In Bamna (Barguna) and Sadar Upazila (Barisal), Ms.Verburg visited numerous projects coordinated by FAO, IFAD and WFP, including:

 A joint WFP, FAO, UNICEF Millennium Development Goal project entitled “Protecting and Promoting Food Security and Nutrition for Families and Children in Bangladesh” (in Bamna, Barguna)  An IFAD-run “Market Infrastructure Development Project in the Charland Regions”  The FAO run “Recovery of Agriculture Sector and Improvement Program” (a component of the Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project)

The delegation met beneficiaries and learned first-hand about the progress and impact that these different projects and others have had on the vulnerable communities living in this region. A lunch was also organized in Barisal city with local government officials and dignitaries.

Ms. Verburg visit was a very important occasion for FAO Bangladesh and the efforts that it is undertaking to improve the food and nutrition security of the population. The successful conclusion of the mission is testament to the Government of the Netherland’s commitment to FAO’s work, and the concrete partnership that has been established through the years.

2