Ambassador of Malaysia visits CFC
H.E. Dato' Nadzirah Binti Osman, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Netherlands, is seen with Managing Director Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal at the Secretariat of the CFC. H.E. Dato' Nadzirah Binti Osman came to visit CFC, for the first time, to know more about the activities of the CFC and its impact on the ground. As a commodity-dependent country, Malaysia, as stated by Ambassador Osman, takes CFC with utmost importance. Malaysia expressed its readiness to do more for its people as well as for all poor people in the region.
Ambassador Belal was accompanied by Ms. Sonja Timmer, Project Manager of CFC.
CFC welcomed Ambassador Osman with a presentation showing how poverty remains stuck around commodities and how the global economic system also made it difficult to ease the commodity dependency trap. With examples from the price volatility of vanilla from Madagascar to cashew nuts in Africa and coffee in Indonesia, the CFC urged the Malaysian Ambassador to be a part of this journey of making commodity works for the development.
During the discussion, Ambassador Belal also briefed Ambassador Osman on the current as well as probable future initiatives of the CFC. Ambassador Belal requested Ambassador Osman to help CFC with their success stories and thereby help CFC to improve the format and character of CFC projects. Ambassador Belal also requested Ambassador Osman to introduce CFC to potential stakeholders so that CFC could scale up its work globally. Ambassador Belal wished to see more working relations and partnerships with countries like Malaysia where commodities have been used successfully to set the foundation of economic triumph as a nation.
Ambassador Belal also briefed Ambassador Osman on the ongoing initiative on the formulation of a fund titled CIIF (Commodity Impact Investment Facility) and thereby enabling CFC to contribute more to poverty alleviation. Once formed, CIIF could also be an avenue for Malaysia to join this impact investment fund as an anchor investor.
Before taking leave, Ambassador Osman assured that she will do her best to bring good project ideas from her country and the region, and to promote the idea of impact investing as best as she could. Ambassador Belal urged Ambassador Osman to disseminate the information with business chambers, Ministries, and enterprises so that qualified SMEs/enterprises could submit quality projects from Malaysia for consideration by the Executive Board of CFC.
Ambassador Belal assured to pursue more innovative outreaches in the days to come to make the services of CFC available to as many people as possible in the commodity-dependent developing world, with a heightened sense of innovations and creativity.