In 2008 the Platform advocated strongly for more effective and increased investment in agriculture and rural development (ARD) to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The Third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF3), held in Accra, in September, was a key event for Platform advocacy.
Download the 2008 Annual Report
The soaring food prices in early 2008 thrust agriculture and rural development (ARD) to the top of the development agenda. The food price shock caused riots across the world and toppled a government in Haiti. The crisis moved hunger to centre stage in international development thinking. This prioritisation of food and hunger is quite new.
The Board and Secretariat strategically addressed key stakeholders and new players in the international policy arena. These included the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), China, Japan and India, the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The Platform recognised the importance of the Third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF3) for assessing how far the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness had progressed and for addressing critical new challenges. The decision to engage with HLF3 processes recognised that the implementation of the Paris Declaration and its principles is having a major impact on all sectors in development cooperation.
The Platform worked hard in the run up to the HLF3 to ensure that the agricultural sector was firmly on the agenda and that Platform members had opportunities to advocate for more effective and increased investment in ARD. The Platform developed clear policy messages, and identified key targets and strategies to deliver the messages.
The Platform coordinated Platform participation at key international conferences during the year. This meant ensuring that Focal Points and Secretariat staff had opportunities in side events, panel discussions and information sessions to advocate for appropriate consideration of the needs of the rural poor and the food insecure in development debates. The Platform also organised several international events. These enabled the Platform to step up advocacy for the application of aid effectiveness principles in ARD programmes.
The Platform welcomed the Global Mechanism of UNCCD as a new member of the Board. The strengths of the UNCCD-Global Mechanism in analysing new financing instruments in aid effectiveness, such as basket funding, direct budget support and sector-wide approaches, will be particularly valuable to the Platform. The Platform General Assembly in November provided an opportunity for fruitful discussions and valuable input to the planning process. Members took advantage of this to network and share information on recent developments.
Publication date: June 2010
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