By Blake Jackson
In New York, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched its newly revamped South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Gateway Platform. The event was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Committee on South-South Cooperation and was co-hosted with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).
The new SSTC Gateway serves as a digital space for sharing knowledge, forming partnerships, and spreading innovative agricultural practices among countries in the Global South. The platform is designed to improve access to digital tools, especially in agrifood systems, helping close the global digital divide.
“Today’s launch of the FAO SSTC Gateway platform represents a new chapter in this journey. This platform is designed to improve access to digital and innovative technologies in agriculture, helping bridge the digital divide and enabling countries to share knowledge, learn from peers and scale up successful practices,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol.
“Digital divides mirror development divides,” said UNOSSC Director Dima Al-Khatib, also jointly opening the event. “The new FAO South-South and Triangular Cooperation Gateway Platform – which will have complementary links to UNOSSC’s South-South Galaxy portal and South-South and Triangular Cooperation Solutions Lab – will connect knowledge with need, enabling more effective matchmaking between solution providers and seekers, supporting more inclusive and scalable deployment of digital and innovative technologies across agrifood systems.”
The platform links with UNOSSC’s South-South Galaxy portal and South-South Solutions Lab, offering users a wide network for collaboration and resource sharing. The launch included case studies of successful projects in digital agriculture, highlighting how science and technology can overcome development challenges.
FAO's Director of SSTC, Anping Ye, closed the event by emphasizing the platform’s role in making agrifood systems more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable.
As FAO celebrates its 80th anniversary, it announced a special SSTC recognition to honour outstanding contributions that support food security and sustainable agricultural development through cooperation.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-zoran-zeremski
Categories: New York, Business