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NEWS FROM THE FIELD EL SALVADOR

FIRST IFAD WEEK ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN EL SALVADOR – November 16 - 20, 2015 – by Glayson Ferrari

WHAT WAS IFAD WEEK IN EL SALVADOR ABOUT?

• In 2015, IFAD reached 30 years of outstanding implementation

in El Salvador. In order to commemorate this anniversary, the

Fund, together with its partners, promoted the First IFAD Week

on Rural Development – Dialogue, Knowledge and Articulation.

• The objective of the Week was to bring together partners from

the government, the private sector, the civil society and

communities to exchange knowledge, create new alliances and

generate ideas for an enhanced rural world.

• During 5 days, about 500 participants were able to participate

in more than 20 different activities, including workshops,

panels, seminars, fairs, as well as dialogue and proposal

opportunities.

WHAT WAS THE AGENDA?

• 16 November – Public policy dialogue

• 17 November – Youth, National Assembly

of Rural Youth, Fair on Youth

Entrepreneurship

• 18 November – Access to markets, Youth,

Fairs, Cultural Evening

• 19 November – The Environment, Climate

Change, Food Security, Producers’ Fair,

CLAC-IFAD Dinner

• 20 November – Indigenous Peoples,

Gender and Indigenous Fair

The institutional fair was lasted the whole

week (5 days), and benefitted from the

presence of more than 20 IFAD partners.

16/11 – Inauguration

The event was officially opened by the head of the Minister of

Agriculture and Livestock, with the participation of the National

Youth Institute (INJUVE), the National Coordination Body for

Indigenous Organizations in El Salvador, the National Committee on

Family Farming and the National Rural Youth Network, and IFAD.

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PARTICIPANTS

. More than 520 participants from El

Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

. 100 government representatives

. 110 youths from all the regions in the

country

. 100 indigenous peoples’

representatives

. 50 producers’ representatives

. 100 speakers and panellists

. 30 partner organizations

. 10 university volunteers

. 3 IFAD programmes + 10 grants

PANELS

. Panel on Dialogue around IFAD’s 2015 – 2019 Country Strategy for El

Salvador.

. 7 Panels on Policy Dialogue, Youths, Access to Markets, the Environment

and Climate Change, Indigenous Peoples, and Economic Empowerment of

Rural Women, with the support of more than 50 partners and 60 speakers.

. Dialogue panel on the Environment and Climate Change – presentation of

the study performed by IFAD and PRISMA.

WORKSHOPS

8 thematic workshops on Access to Markets and Policy Dialogue

organized by UN Women, ECLAC, ICEFI, SNV, Agexport, RIMISP, CNAF and

UNIANDES, through the collaboration of 30 facilitators.

FAIRS

. Institutional fair with 15 IFAD

partners

. Fair with 50 young entrepreneurs

. Fair with 30 farm entrepreneurs

. Fair with 02 indigenous peoples’

associations

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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF RURAL YOUTHS

. Context

. In November 2013, IFAD held LAC consultation on youth

. In January 2014, El Salvador launched the National Youth

Plan

. In March 2014, joint actions invest a total of USD

1,000.000

. In December 2014, 12 department networks were created

. Current situation

. IFAD, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Youth

Institute, Fundesyran, World Vision, Plan International,

Ayuda en Acción and PROCASUR work together to strengthen

the National Network of Rural Youths.

. The National Network of Indigenous Youths is integrated

into the National Network of Rural Youths.

. Local networks are in place in the 14 departments of the

country

. The National Assembly has been officially set up and

acknowledged by the Government of El Salvador

. Future

. The National Assembly will be a legal entity acknowledged

by the Government of El Salvador, with an aim to work on

two main cross-cutting issues: Democratic Participation and

Economic Opportunities for Rural Youths.

SIGNED COOPERATION AGREEMENTS

. IFAD – UNDP – 2016 Human Development Report –

Youths in El Salvador

. IFAD-CNAF-PRISMA – Organisational Strengthening

of the National Committee for Family Agriculture in

El Salvador

. IFAD - INJUVE-World Vision – Organisational

Strengthening of the National Assembly of Rural

Youths in El Salvador

. IFAD-AGEXPORT-CLAC – Promotion of Access to

Markets for Small Producers from Guatemala,

Honduras, and El Salvador

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CULTURAL EVENING

The Cultural Evening was organized jointly with CLAC. More than

400 persons participated in the event, including government

representatives, IFAD partners, CLAC members, youths, and

producers. In addition to key note speeches from the Ministry of

Agriculture, the National Institute for Youths, CLAC and IFAD, the

evening was enriched by a dance performance by the well-known

National Ballet of El Salvador.

SIDE EVENTS

. CLAC-FAIR TRADE Photo Exhibit

. IFAD-CLAC Dinner with fair trade producers

from 25 countries

MASS MEDIA

. Dissemination in more than 30 mass media

. Broadcast from 20 virtual media

. Live coverage in 10 mass media

. Participation in 02 television programmes, with exclusive interviews

ACHIEVED RESULTS

. Enhanced institutional visibility for IFAD (not only as a

funding source, but also as a promoter of dialogue, able to

provide technical assistance, and foster alliances);

. Consolidation of IFAD’s work with youths, through the

creation of the National Assembly of Rural Youths,

officially and legally acknowledged by the governments;

. Increased interest in mass media to support IFAD’s work

(sense of cause);

. Rural people’s acknowledgement of IFAD as a great ally;

. Civil society’s acknowledgement of IFAD as a key ally to

trigger change in the rural arena;

. Triggering other government sectors to contact IFAD

(SICA, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of the Interior, Youth

Institute, President’s Office);

. Links between IFAD partners interested in enhancing

coordination of actions in the country and achieving

increased impact.

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ENCOUNTER BETWEEN IFAD GRANTEES

Encounter – Lunch with 10 implementing

partners of IFAD Grants in El Salvador to

exchange lessons learned, institutional linkages

and partnership opportunities – ECLAC, UN

Women, FAO, UNIANDES, REMISP, PROCASUR,

AGEXPORT, PRISMA and SNV.

“Knowledge is the power to

foster increased equality and

enhanced development.”

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuvzpPwHdqY&feature=em-upload_owner&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lKs49EtF-o&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzh_JFFDNcA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY_LZxIXkmQ&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwGp1CJN21E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne8O46QzDD0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlbE2Tf5e9Y

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaO6bajI_r4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyqvb9TSFRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Di94Y66Tc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MlbE2Tf5e9Y