SAPLING holds the first regional dialogues in Dhaka

The South Asian Policy Leadership for Improved Nutrition and Growth (SAPLING), a multi-stakeholder regional platform for resilient food systems across five countries in South Asia, held the first dialogue in a series of regional dialogues at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka recently.

BRAC - the current SAPLING secretariat, in collaboration with IPE Global Limited, an India based international development consulting firm and SAPLING’s knowledge partner organised the event.

The Dhaka congregation witnessed participation from government delegations, multilateral organisations, private sector entities, research institutions and civil society organisations from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The three thematic areas, namely climate-smart food systems, post-harvest losses, and food safety standards, were the main focus of the discussions.

Begum Matia Chowdhury, chair of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Agriculture graced the event as the chief guest. State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam also attended the event.

Addressing the event Matia Chowdhury said, “The government has ensured substantial progress in ensuring food security for the population. Bangladesh is prone to frequent climate shocks that can potentially disrupt the food system, increase inequality and jeopardise people’s access to food. As such, SAPLING’s activities are highly pertinent in this context. I believe this platform is a great opportunity for cross-learning, knowledge-sharing and for the development of common standards among the member countries for a productive future in food security. I hope SAPLING will play a catalysing role in steering regional cooperation to develop sustainable food systems across South Asia.”

Dr Shamsul Alam in his speech said “To ensure accessibility and availability of safe and nutritious food in South Asia, institutional setup complemented by multi-sectoral and multi-country cooperation is necessary.” The Minister also emphasized the need to bolster regional trade on food products along with setting up common food safety standards for the region.

Siddharth Chaturvedi, senior programme officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spoke on the importance of connecting dots and translating country level issues to regional collaborations for effective solutions in SAPLING countries.

Amadou Ba, senior agriculture economist at The World Bank, Dhaka re-emphasised on the need of regional collaboration among South Asian countries and established its alignment with the UN Food Systems Summit.

The discussions highlighted the need for technological collaboration and transfers, strengthening knowledge dissemination and exchanges, building capacities, demonstrating solutions, creating financing opportunities and mainstreaming gender across South Asian food systems. There are consensuses on establishing SAPLING as a regional platform to facilitate and support regional cooperation to address key country priorities.