United Kingdom to step up their engagements to address the commodity dependence globally
The meeting took place virtually, with Mr. Paul Whittingham, Deputy Director, and Mr. Juhal Ahmed, Head, Aid for Trade Team, from the Trade for Development Department at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) meeting with Ambassador Belal and Mr. Andrey Kuleshov, Chief Strategy and Development of CFC.
Ambassador Belal provided an overview of the current and potential future initiatives of the CFC. They emphasized the concept of green recovery in the post-pandemic era, aiming to support smallholder farmers and SMEs affected by the current polycrises to recover and rebuild their businesses.
Ambassador Belal acknowledged the existing synergies between the FCDO and the CFC, both of which are dedicated to improving the income and general welfare of producers along various commodity value chains.
Mr. Whittingham shared information on the myriad of sustainable works implemented by different agencies of the United Kingdom and encouraged CFC to explore better connectivity with the UK institutions and businesses to gain from each other.
In response, Ambassador Belal explained the ongoing efforts to establish the Agriculture Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund and encouraged Mr. Whittingham to actively promote this fund to his government and other potential investors. The ACT Fund aims to mobilize more resources to increase the income of smallholders and help lift them out of poverty.
Mr. Whittingham further expressed his appreciation for the diversity of CFC's work. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between the FCDO and the CFC in supporting smallholders and reducing poverty in the global South.
The meeting concluded with Ambassador Belal and Mr. Whittingham expressing their commitment to remain engaged and follow up on the discussed initiatives in the coming days.
Overall, the meeting aimed to strengthen the partnership between the United Kingdom and CFC, exploring funding opportunities and collaborative efforts to empower smallholders and promote sustainable development towards SDGs 2030.