Aims at mobilizing public and private sector investments in selected priority areas, identified using sound criteria and methods, to eliminate rural poverty and hunger. This will include:
- Presentations of 20 selected countries of the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative, as potential investment and intervention opportunities;
- Interventions by representatives of the Multilateral Development Banks, national and global agrifood private firms, institutional investors, national development banks and donors, among other stakeholders and development partners.
On Tuesday, 18 October, Ministers have a one-hour slot to present their own country investment and intervention opportunities, as well as indicate prospects and opportunities at the national level and in those areas where the Hand-in-Hand Initiative seeks to eliminate rural poverty and hunger.
Discussions may include the challenges and bottlenecks still pending, the improvements made in the regulatory framework of each country to make the business environment more investment-friendly, the prospects for incorporation into domestic and international value chains and the potential of the areas identified within the investment plan. Wednesday, 19 October, will be dedicated to bilateral meetings between officials of each of the 20 countries with potential development partners and stakeholders interested in engaging in the country.
- Enhance and foster an inclusive dialogue among governments, private sector and development partners to produce concrete results and improve the lives of rural poor;
- Emphasize the essential role of the private sector at national and international level, as well as International Financial Institutions, in ensuring a successful in-country outcome of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative;
- Build momentum around actions that governments, businesses and the international community can take to accelerate and implement the 2030 Agenda;
- Aim at bridging the gap between the country's need for public/private investment in deprived rural areas to scale up production, trade, and value chains and the private investor's appetite for opportunities and diversified returns.