Speaking on Thursday 29 August from Japan, where he is taking part in the Seventh International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7, Yokohama, 28-30 August), Neven Mimica, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, stressed that cooperation and complementarity between the EU and the UN in creating jobs in agriculture on the African continent is growing stronger.
The Commissioner met with Qu Dongyu, the Director-General of FAO, to discuss ways to maximise synergies between EU and FAO-UNIDO programmes.
Mimica commented that “collaborating with partners such as the FAO is crucial to accelerate youth employment in agriculture”.
Speaking in the margins of TICAD7, the Commissioner expressed the EU’s support, welcoming the new initiative for youth employment in agriculture and agribusiness in Africa, which has been launched by the UNIDO, the FAO, the AU and a number of partners. By supporting agricultural value chains, this initiative will provide technical assistance and enable capacity-building and knowledge-sharing for businesses set up by young people.
“Accelerating youth employment in agriculture in Africa calls for more investments, better business climate, vocational training and cross-border trade. Just launched UNIDO/FAO Initiative on Youth Employment is a good addition to our toolbox and we look forward to supporting it!”, the Commissioner commented on his Twitter account. He went on to say that, since 2014, the EU has allocated nearly €9 billion to support sustainable agriculture and improve food security and nutrition worldwide.
Neven Mimica also took part in a side event on peace and security in Africa.
Meetings are also planned with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, and with Tarō Kōno, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as with Shinichi Kitaoka, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)