The Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) is pleased to welcome the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as its newest member. Representing UNDP will be Andrew Bovarnick, Global Head of the UNDP Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS) team.
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Food systems weave together diverse stakeholders – among them the most vulnerable populations – in an economic, social and environmental fabric that cuts across all aspects of human societies and geographies. Their transformation towards more sustainable, resilient and inclusive systems is critical to the achievement of the majority of the SDGs. UNDP works together with partners in support of systems change, contributing to policy coherence across government, capacity building of key actors and institutions to sustain policy reform as well as effectively collaborate in favour of durable, integrated solutions, and thought leadership to influence the global discourse.
This discourse – and the development community that contributes to it – should promote a new paradigm for food and agricultural commodity systems based on diversified, resilient, agroecological systems that work simultaneously on achieving economic, environmental, social and health outcomes, with smallholders central to the transformation as the engine of economic development.
UNDP welcomes the opportunity to connect with partners through the GDPRD, and looks forward to sharing and exchanging knowledge, based on lessons learned, insights and experience collated from its multi-dimensional programming. With presence in more than 170 countries, UNDP also aims to strengthen its collaboration on the ground with the ecosystem of development partners engaged in the GDPRD.
Transformation requires collective efforts from all stakeholders to find effective solutions. As a member of this diverse and experienced group, UNDP can collectively leverage its extensive portfolio related to food systems – and more broadly rural development – to catalyse more effective and coherent actions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNDP is confident that this membership will significantly contribute to achieving our shared objectives.
Focal Point - Andrew Bovarnick, Global Head, Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Andrew Bovarnick has over 30 years of experience at the forefront of international efforts in agriculture, biodiversity, forest conservation, protected areas and environmental economics. He integrates technical expertise with leadership, acting as a bridge between experience of what it takes to achieve impact on the ground with global advocacy and alliance building. He is focused on transforming commodity sectors through the UNDP Food and Agricultural Commodities Systems (FACS) initiative, part of the Nature Hub. UNDP has a portfolio of projects directly supporting FACS representing over $1.2 Billion, in more than 100 countries. Andrew led the application of economic approaches to natural resource management in UNDP and provided much of the foundation for UNDP’s work on ecosystems services, environmental mainstreaming and environmental finance.
Founding the Green Commodities Programme (now FACS) in 2009, Andrew pioneered the transformation of commodity sectors in key producing countries to improve environmental, social and economic performance around highly traded commodities such as Palm Oil, Beef, Cocoa, Coffee and Soy. He is regularly called upon to lead Advisory Boards including co-chairing the UN Task Force on Food Systems Transformation and chairing the Advisory Council for Mondelez’ CocoaLife Programme. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Stockholm Environment Institute BEDROCK research programme and the Advisory Board for the Hamburg New Institute Programme The Future of Food: Power and Biodiversity.
