FAO Namibia Annual Newsletter December 2018, Issue #1 NOW from Namibia ©FAO/Helena Kasheeta IN THIS NEWS Message from FAO Representative in Namibia Interview with incoming AFAOR Programme Country Programming Framework (CPF) Sustainable food systems and value chains World Food Day 2018 Top agriculture student floating trophy Food Expo 2018 Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Conservation Agriculture Project Port State Measures Agreement Natural Resources Management observances Snapshots and Social Media of the Year Message from FAO Representative in Namibia 2018 has been a very packed and eventful year for FAO- Namibia: it marked (more or less) the start of my assignment as FAO Representative to the country – with all that comes with that, at a professional and personal level: presenting letters of credence; a seemingly endless round of courtesy calls on partners; completing assignment briefings in HQ and the Sub-regional Office; finding and moving into a new place and just getting used to the office, the country, the new environment and work in general! It has definitely been a hectic, but deeply rewarding experience for me personally and for the FAO Namibia Team. We have managed to achieve a number of notable landmarks – we prepared our new CPF for 2019-2023; remained engaged with our key stakeholders and ensured FAO relevance on Kasheeta ©FAO/Helena the national stage through participating in and (sometimes leading) key events on the national calendar. In addition, as Ms. Farayi Zimudzi, FAO Representive in Namibia. we navigate the choppy waters of supporting a middle-income country going through economic challenges, we are working “As we navigate the choppy waters of on developing a strong programme – more on that in ensuing supporting a middle-income country going issues… through economic challenges, we are In-house in November we welcomed a key new staff member, working on developing a strong programme” the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme); while maintaining the capacity of the office. In all this, we have had - Ms. Farayi Zimudzi, FAO Representative unstinting support from all levels of the Organization, the UN Namibia family and, of course, our partners in Government and beyond. I am truly excited to be launching this first issue of our newsletter, which will become quarterly in 2019. ©FAO/Helena Kasheeta FAO Namibia Annual Newsletter - 1 ©FAO/Helena Kasheeta FAO prepares the ground of cooperation with Namibia through the development of the Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2019-2023 As the current CPF (2014-2018) is ending in December 2018, preparations are well underway to develop a new one for the period 2019-2023. The CPF sets out government priority areas that guide FAO partnership with, and support to the Government of the Republic of Namibia. The development of the CPF involved an in-depth consultation process and ultimately agreements with a large number of Government Ministries, Offices and Agencies, Mr. Ferdinard Mwapopi, Assistant FAO Representative. several non-state actors, civil society stakeholders and the UN Country Team. The following key Ministries were instrumental in Interview with the incoming Assistant FAO the development of the new CPF: Representative (Programme) 1. Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), FAONA: Tell us a little about yourself? I am an Environmental and 2. Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Fisheries professional with a combined nine (9) years of experience 3. Ministry of Finance (MoF), in the private and public sectors in Namibia. My educational back- 4. Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), ground includes a Masters of Philosophy in Environmental Manage- 5. Ministry of Land Reform (MoLR), ment from the University of Stellenbosch, a Bachelor of Science Hon- 6. Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare (MPESW) ours in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of 7. Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MURD). the Western Cape and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources (Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences) from the University of Namibia. The CPF was informed and recognized that Namibia’s mid-term developmental aspirations, which are espoused in the fifth FAONA: How do you feel about joining FAO and how do you find National Development Plan (NDP5) document. It is also aligned to the new assignment? The new position is exciting, and I am grateful the Harambee Prosperity Plan, which is Government’s acceleration for this great opportunity to be working at FAO, a specialized plan that sets out national level priorities of the current political Agency of the United Nations. The feeling about the position thus leadership. The new CPF also took into consideration the far is overwhelming and exhilarating, I am learning about how FAO aspirations of the: operates, aiming to settle in as fast as possible while at the same time, fulfilling my work requirements. This position has already a) The 2014 Manifesto of the ruling SWAPO Party, provided me with opportunity to interact with professionals in other FAO departments globally, who provide technical support so that b) Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we deliver the FAO mandate effectively and efficiently. Working as a c) The Paris Agreement (CoP21), team with international experts in fisheries, agriculture and forestry, d) African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, and interacting with them almost on a daily basis is exceptional and e) The United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF) makes me feel that at FAO, no one is working alone, and it does not 2019-2023, matter where you are working from. f) The SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), During my fourth week at FAO, I had the opportunity to participate in g) FAO’s Strategic Objectives and its three Regional Initiatives for the FAO Namibia staff retreat held at Sun Karros Resort, Dan Viljoen. Africa, namely: Although I am new to the team, no challenges were posed in terms i. Africa’s Commitment to End Hunger by 2025, of participating in team activities, but rather it was an opportunity to ii. Sustainable Production Intensification and Value Chain get to know my team well, and thus has fast tracked my settling in. It is a very special feeling walking into the UN House, Monday to Friday Development in Africa; and getting to meet staff of the different UN Agencies, and I feel that iii. Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands. it will be very interesting working within the broader United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF), as guided by the “Delivering as The total resources required to implement this CPF amount to USD one” approach. 10 728 500 of which USD 1 528 500 (15%) is available; while USD 9 300 000 (85%) will need to be mobilized. It is envisaged that USD 1 250 000 of the required resources will be from FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme. About USD 1 400 000 of the amount to be mobilized will be derived from South-South Cooperation. A total of USD 6 150 000 will need to be mobilized through voluntary contributions. Despite the challenges of being an upper middle income country, FAO Namibia is on a resource mobilization drive to fund the CPF, through exploring partnerships with the Government of Namibia itself; as well as other funding opportunities such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF); the Green Climate Fund (GCF); the Adaptation Fund; regional projects; as well as partnerships with International Financial Institutions (IFIs). Infographic about resource mobilization efforts. FAO Namibia Annual Newsletter - 2 Commemoration of World Food Day In keeping with global practice, the Representation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Namibia supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) to host the 2018 World Food Day (WFD) commemoration on 30 October 2018. As the current SADC chair, Namibia implemented the new regional approach to WFD observances that were piloted by South Africa (the immediate past chair) and adopted by the SADC Ministers ©FAO/Helena Kasheeta of Agriculture in 2017. It is therefore against this background that Namibia hosted their first ever Regional WFD commemoration on Group photo taken during sustainable food systems and value chains training. 30 October 2018 in Bunya Village, Kapako Constituency in Kavango Developing sustainable food systems and West Region. This global annual observance, celebrates the founding of the FAO and its commitment to end hunger. value chains in Africa The theme for 2018 was “Our actions are our future: a Zero Hunger As food systems thinking becomes central to FAO’s work, there is world by 2030 is possible”. The theme highlighted the crucial a need to develop a clear framework to guide projects and policy role each and every individual across the continent and the globe recommendations, and to provide greater internal consistency of can play in the fight against hunger, noting that all climate action FAO’s work. The sustainable food systems (SFS) approach allows decisions made today can impact the future. us to assess the big picture. Rather than focusing on isolated components of a system, it facilitates a holistic understanding of The event was attended by: their interactions, feedback loops and how they, together, affect Hon. Alpheus !Naruseb, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and systems dynamics. Adopting a systems thinking can bring about Forestry, who spoke on behalf of the guest of honour, the Vice significant improvements to our work in terms of project design and President of Namibia, H.E. Nangolo Mbumba); cooperation. The South African Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Hon. Senzeni Zokwana; A five (5) day course primarily targeting FAO technical staff in region- The FAO Representative in Namibia, al, sub-regional and country offices actively engaged in value chain Ms. Farayi Zimudzi, who delivered the Director-General’s remarks; related projects was held in Windhoek on 22-26 October 2018.