The Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM) of United Nations ESCAP participated in a dialogue on ‘Multilateral Cooperation and Trilateral Cooperation for Africa’s Sustainable Development’ convened at China Agricultural University (CAU). The event was a joint initiative of CAU’s College of International Development and Global Agriculture (CIDGA), the China-Germany Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), and the China International Development Research Network (CIDRN).

The dialogue invited development experts and practitioners from international organizations, OECD countries and emerging economies to exchange experiences and jointly explore approaches to promote sustainable development in Africa through multilateral and trilateral cooperation, thus contributing to the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled in November 2021.

In his presentation, Mr. Anshuman Varma, Programme Officer and Deputy Head of CSAM, underscored the importance of sustainable agricultural mechanization in enabling agricultural development and the related Sustainable Development Goals. In the backdrop of the Centre’s mandate, he outlined instances of successful cooperation that have taken place under key CSAM initiatives such as the Asian and Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM), Regional Council of Agricultural Machinery Associations (ReCAMA), Regional Forum on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization, and regional efforts to promote integrated management of straw residue. He also informed about selected CSAM activities and events held in collaboration with other partners which have engaged participants from Africa. Learnings and takeaways relevant for the African region were highlighted during the presentation.

At the opening of the dialogue, Mr. Matteo Marchisio, Country Director for China for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) delivered keynote remarks on behalf of Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China. The event was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as well as the Ministry of Commerce of China, the European Union Delegation to China, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and other experts.

Pictures courtesy: CIDGA