Participantion
As places are limited, only registered participants my attend the luncheon.
Participants will include: individuals representing established organic movements such as NOGAMU from Uganda, donors, project partners as well as policy-makers engaged directly in coordinating organic policy and harmonizing regional organic standards towards facilitation of international trade.
Background
UNCTAD has been active in promoting organic agriculture as a means to increase income, improve environmental standards and provide developing countries with access to markets where organic produce commands price premiums. Dating back from 2004, activities were developed in East Africa (especially Uganda) and Asia, covering issues of organic standards harmonization and equivalence, global organic market access (GOMA), private standards (UNFSS), developing linkages between organics and tourism industries, as well as providing direct support in terms of standard-setting, field training and material assistance for the expansion of organic agriculture movement and policy in Lao PDR.
Since 2012 UNCTAD has been engaged, under the aegis of the UN inter-agency cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity, in a project in Lao PDR, namely “Enhancing sustainable tourism, clean production and export capacity in Lao PDR", in close cooperation with other United Nations agencies (ILO, UNIDO, ITC and UNOPS). The project in Lao PDR will end in September 2014 and enter into a consolidation phase between 2015 and 2016. The lessons learnt from Uganda and Lao PDR will be transmitted to initial project activities starting in the United Republic of Tanzania in 2014. The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is financially supporting the project.
Objectives
This lunch event will gather key stakeholders from past, present and future organic agriculture projects supported by UNCTAD to promote better understanding, transparency and exchange of ideas on strategic directions and policy experiences for organic agriculture as a tool to promote institutional, social and economic improvements in developing and least developed countries.
The event will highlight the outcome of the third Lao Organic Agriculture Forum held in July 2014.
