Andris Piebalgs, Member of the European Commission responsible for Development, is delighted by the launch of this new initiative and states: “This new initiative should make a difference in the lives of women in the DRC. It is unacceptable that so many young girls and women are still victims of violence that goes unpunished and have no access to education. Moreover, any sustainable development is inconceivable without the participation of all stakeholders in our partner countries and we must not forget that women are at the heart of growth in Africa.”

To help with the adoption of a new approach to relations between men and women which hopes to create a more harmonious and prosperous society in the DRC, whilst combatting gender-based violence effectively, the project aims to increase the percentage of children with proper access to education to at least 70 % in the provinces of Kinshasa and Bandundu.

The initiative also aims to increase the capacity of the units in the Congolese national police force specialised in combatting violence against young girls and women in Kinshasa, Bandundu and Maniema. This will help to provide a contact point where victims and witnesses of violence can seek guidance, so that the guilty parties can be prosecuted and their violent crimes will not go unpunished. This approach can in future be extended to the rest of the country.

This programme should make it possible to tackle the roots of the problem by encouraging a new perception of the roles of women and men in society. By turning men as well as women into instruments of change, the initiative will have a better chance of success in the long term.

This initiative will be launched together with UNICEF and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, as well as with the support of the Congolese Government.

“With 900 million hungry people in the world and one trillion dollars at stake, joint action in reducing losses and waste can improve livelihoods, food security, and minimize the environmental impact,” the Director of FAO’s Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division, Gavin Wall, said in a news release.

Established in 2011, SAVE FOOD – the Global Initiative on Food Losses and Waste Reduction aims to reduce the estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food that is lost or wasted every year, with annual losses valued at nearly $1 trillion. The campaign currently has over 50 partners.

One-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption is thrown away or lost, as well as the natural resources used for its production. Food losses and waste amounts to roughly $680 billion in industrialized countries and $310 billion in developing countries.

FAO, together with a trade fair organizer, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, and a trade fair for packaging and processes, Interpack, is calling for new private sector partners as well as non-profit organizations involved throughout the food supply chain to join the effort and contribute their expertise.

New technologies, better practices, coordination, and investments in infrastructure – from food production to consumption – are critical to reducing food losses and waste, FAO noted, adding that although food losses occur at all stages of the food supply chain, the causes and their impact around the world differ.

In developing countries, food losses hit small farmers the hardest, FAO stated. Almost 65 per cent of those losses happen at the production, post harvest, and processing stages. However, in industrialized countries, food waste often occurs at the retail and consumer levels due to a “throw-away” mindset.

Per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115 kilograms a year in Europe and North America, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa and South-Southeast Asia throw away 6-11 kilograms a year.