MAL PS and senior officials during the DPSWG hybrid modality ‘face to face’ and ‘virtual’ meeting
MAL and Donors, Development Partners Sector Working Meeting
MAL PS Ethel Frances
The third Donor Partner Sector Working Group (DPSWG) hybrid modality ‘face to face’ and ‘virtual’ meeting was successfully held on Wednesday 17th August 2022 between the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MAL), donors and development partners, international regional and national organizations’, NGOs and the private sector organizations’.
The DPSWG meeting was organized in partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock DPSWG Secretariat, the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO-EUD the ‘Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST) Programme’ the International Food and Agriculture Development (IFAD).
The meeting was attended by representatives from IFAD, FAO, DFAT, MFAT, USAID, SPC, DAFF (Australia), World Bank, UNICEF, PHAMA Plus in addition to various representatives from SIG Ministries.
This was the 3rd meeting in a series of meetings between MAL, donors and development partners since late 2021. The main focus of the meetings was to give MAL opportunities to present to donors, development partners and funding agencies the prioritized activities of the ‘Agriculture Sector Growth and Investment Plan 2021 -2030 (ASGIP)’ for funding opportunities. The ASGIP is the roadmap and guide of the agriculture sector during the next ten years which has four (4) agriculture programmes namely: i) Program 1; Governance, Management & Innovation; ii) Program 2: National Food & Nutrition Security Program; iii) Program 3: National Livestock Development Program; iv) Program 4: National Crop Development Program which contains specific activities for implementation
Virtual Zoom Participants
At this 3rd DPSWG meeting, the MAL presentations and discussions was led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ms. Ethel T. She highlighted MAL events and implementation progress made since the last meeting (May 2022); the upcoming meetings and events planned by MAL or its partners in 2022; she confirmed and thanked the eleven donor partners who had registered interested in being formally included in the DPSWG; gave an update on bilateral meetings with partners carried out by MAL; and mapped with donors specific areas they are supporting and participating in Solomon Islands Agriculture areas of interest.
At the end of the PS presentation, a donor partners’ discussion time led by the Deputy Secretary Ms. Elda Wate was given at which partners were asked to make feedbacks, comments and raise questions to the presentations. Many of the donors responded with statements of appreciation and confirmed their particular areas of interest as well as geographical areas where they are engaged in Solomon Islands.
Donor partners present at the meeting noted that they were happy to see MALs’ progressing plans especially in the ASGIP prioritised activities. The meeting was ended successfully with a sincere thanks and acknowledgement note from the MAL PS Ms. Ethel Frances and the MAL DPSWG Secretariat team in Honiara.
-MAL Media