Government signs agreements with ADB and UNDP for food security program
The Government, through the Minister of Finance, Fernando Hanjan, signed today, July 9, 2020, at the Ministry of Finance in Dili, agreements with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for a program related to food security.
Through this agreement, the ADB allocates a financial contribution to the Government of Timor-Leste, worth one million dollars, through the Asia-Pacific Disaster Response Fund, for the development of a program to support the population affected by COVID-19, in particular with regard to food security.
An agreement was also signed with UNDP, which will be responsible for implementing this programme, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, with the aim of supporting community health and agricultural economies of the most vulnerable people. UNDP also contributes US$105,335 to the project.
The program provides for the financial contribution allocated by the ADB to be used to purchase food baskets from local farmers, farmers' shops or local shops, to be distributed to the most vulnerable families.
Priority will be given to 25,000 more vulnerable beneficiaries in the Areas of Oé-cusse, Covalima, Baucau, Bobonaro and Dili, providing a set of foods that guarantee a balanced diet and an extra income for farmers in this period of economic slowdown.
