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October 28, 2014

28/10/2014: Private-public collaboration for global food security through good agricultural practices launched in Abu Dhabi

Today, a pioneering collaboration of public and private sector partners is launching the ‘Declaration of Abu Dhabi for Global Food Security through Good Agricultural Practices’ Initiated by GlobalG.A.P., Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The collaboration aims to identify, align and implement practical and viable solutions in response to growing global food security challenges. Early signatories to the Declaration include Unilever, METRO, Nestlé SA, VBT - Association of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives, GS1, The Sustainability Consortium and LEAF.

The launch event is being held in conjunction with the GLobalG.A.P. Summit 2014 on a special day dedicated to this Declaration, during which signatories are sharing their support for the Declaration and participating in an official signing ceremony. The signatories convene for their inaugural assembly yesterday, on October 29, 2014, where an inclusive and democratic governance structure, transparent process and initial milestones are taking shape.

The initiative is an open call for global collaboration to find new approaches that will make it easier, more cost effective, and more attractive for farmers worldwide to adopt safe, responsible and sustainable production practices. This will make markets more accessible for farmers, and help them sustain their livelihoods as well as reduce poverty and malnutrition.

The Declaration of Abu Dhabi unites public and private partners committed to developing and adopting three important measures:

  1. A common set of good agricultural practices.
  2. A system for uniquely identifying every farm that is recognized by all stakeholders.
  3. A mechanism for securing the commitment and reporting by supply chain partners.
The common set of practices builds upon established and ongoing work in all aspects of good agriculture and aquaculture practices, including food safety, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility. The common set of practices will draw upon existing standards and assessment tools. The resulting resource will provide broad, consistent, open-source language for sustainability criteria, applicable to farms of all sizes worldwide.

The collaboration will also establish a system for uniquely identifying every farm and ensuring a public reporting mechanism for supply chains. 


Together, the common set of good agricultural practices and the unique farm identification and reporting mechanism, will serve as a foundation upon which diverse training, assessment and verification programs may be adapted and built, and impacts may be measured.

Through a video address, Puvan Selvanathan, Head of Food & Agriculture at the United Nation Global Compact said, "The UN Global Compact is fully committed to collaborating with The Declaration of Abu Dhabi. We want to ensure alignment. We want to avoid duplication of efforts. And we want to maximize our collective impact."
 

About SAI Platform
The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform is the global industry initiative helping food and drink companies to achieve sustainable production and source agricultural raw materials.www.saiplatform.org

About International Trade Centre
ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and theMillennium Development Goals. Among tools and services developed by ITC is Standards Map, a web-based platform to bring transparency and facilitate comparability and harmonization among sustainability standards.
 

About GlobalG.A.P.
GlobalG.A.P. is a leading global certification program whose mission is to bring farmers and retailers together to produce and market safe food, protect scarce resources, and build a sustainable future.


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The Global Miller
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