Background

The Rome-based Agencies of the United Nations (RBAs) – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP) – the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and the China Internet Information Center (CIIC) continue to strengthen their partnership to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG1, SDG2, and SDG17.

Rationale

In most developing countries, access to technologies is still weak in rural areas. This can lead to further exclusion of marginalized communities and an exacerbation of existing socio-economic inequalities. Moreover, not all communities are benefiting from emerging innovations and novel technologies.

Technological innovations, including information and communication technologies (ICTs), are one of the main enablers that will accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, while leaving no one behind. New digital technologies and innovative uses of ICTs can potentially contribute to increasing productivity and wealth; generating new activities, products, and services; addressing information gaps; and improving livelihoods. In fact, SDG9 states that “technological progress is key to finding lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges, such as providing new jobs. Bridging this digital divide is crucial to ensure equal access to information and knowledge, as well as foster innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Technological innovations are also one of the most powerful tools to solve the world’s major challenges – including accelerating poverty reduction and achieving zero hunger. They make it feasible to transform all aspects of how resources are produced and used, fundamentally restructuring food systems and value chains, and redefining how we interact with each other and the world around us. Moreover, technological solutions that worked in a country can be shared with others facing similar challenges through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

But to allow the most vulnerable ones –especially in rural areas- to have access to such technological innovations, the engagement and commitment from new partners (international organizations and banks, private sector, etc.) becomes a key. These partners, often called Triangular partners, are responsible for many technological innovations and have the know-how that can help accelerate poverty reduction and eradicate hunger, and therefore can help to build the bridge between such innovations and communities in need of them.

Objectives

Thethird annual seminar co-organized by the RBAs, the IPRCC and CIIC aims to engage countries and development partners in a discussion on “The Role of Technological Innovations to Help Accelerate Poverty Reduction and Achieve Zero Hunger”. This year’s seminar will:

1. Discuss the role of technological innovations, including ICTs, to help accelerate poverty reduction efforts in rural areas, including through youth as a key actor for rural transformation and to achieve zero hunger;

2. Promote digital innovations in ICT through related projects and relevant experiences;

3. Share good practices and knowledge from successful cases;

4. Enhance collaboration, through various modalities including multi-stakeholder partnerships and South- South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), and among actors including governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia, and civil society.