http://www.english.hadhramaut.info UN agencies agree on joint programming to boost food security in Yemen [The Source: SANA'A\Hadhramaut\Saba - Sunday -23/March/2014]  The three Rome-based United Nations agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a Letter of Understanding (LoU) on joint action to support efforts by the Government of Yemen to address food insecurity and build resilience in rural areas. “While we each have our separate mandates, we can achieve far more by working closely together, supporting efforts by the Government to improve food security and resilience among the most vulnerable communities in Yemen,” said WFP Country Director Bishow Parajuli. The three agencies will intensify their joint programming and actions in Yemen through common strategies, advocacy and targeting of food insecure populations. An estimated 10.5 million people are food insecure in Yemen, 4.5 million of them severely food insecure. “This will enhance our outreach to the rural poor and most marginalized populations and, at the same time, contribute to strengthening their resilience and improving the livelihoods,” said IFAD Country Programme Manager Fathia Bahran. FAO Representative Salah Hajj Hassan commented: “This will allow us all to strengthen our partnership with the Government of Yemen and ensure that our joint efforts are fully aligned with national development priorities and that we are accountable to the Government of Yemen and to the rural poor.”The Letter was also signed by Yemen’s Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Farid Ahmed Saeed Mojaour who welcomed the move, which, he said, put cooperation among the three agencies and the Government on a new footing. FAO is mandated to improve agricultural productivity and the condition of rural populations. It is also the lead agency for technical expertise in food security, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development. IFAD works to combat rural poverty by creating economic and employment opportunities for poor men and women, working to improve their food security, nutrition, raise their income, and strengthen their resilience. WFP’s mandate is to provide food assistance to save lives in emergencies, improve the nutrition and quality of life for the most vulnerable, help build assets and promote self-reliance among food-insecure households. Under their respective mandates, the three agencies will collaborate with a common vision to address food insecurity on the basis of a “twin-track approach” -- alleviating hunger through immediate food assistance, building resilience and providing social safety nets coupled with joint initiatives aimed at eliminating the root causes of hunger and poverty with long-term support to agricultural development and smallholder farmers.