The linkages between trade, food security and nutrition are complex and a priority in the agricultural trade agenda. In order to enhance policy and decision makers’ understanding of these linkages and its implications for policy design and implementation, the UNITAR Division for Prosperity and FAO developed the e-learning course “Comercio, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición”. The joint course was delivered in Spanish between 12 September and 7 October 2022. It targeted professionals from Latin America and the Caribbean involved in the development and implementation of trade, agricultural and food safety policies, or working in related areas.
The course aimed at strengthening capacities of officers from Latin American and the Caribbean to develop and implement evidence-based trade policies, and to formulate and negotiate trade agreements taking into consideration both their needs for economic growth and structural transformation, as well as their food security and nutrition challenges. The learning objectives of the course were as follows:
- Assess the challenges and opportunities that greater trade openness poses for food security and nutrition.
- Assess different types of trade policy measures and their role in promoting food security and nutrition, to design and implement consistent and evidence-based policies.
- Discuss the main global policy and regulatory frameworks that govern trade, food security and nutrition, including the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This was the first edition of the course delivered entirely in Spanish and for professionals from the region. The course delivery benefited from the collaboration of the regional partners SECAC, SIECA, and IICA.
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have a long-standing collaboration aimed at expanding access to education and training to strengthen capacities of stakeholders, with training activities on a wide range of topics being implemented since 2010.
The partnership builds upon the strengths of both institutions by transforming the knowledge expertise provided by FAO into high-quality learning products and services designed to transfer knowledge, impart skills and raise awareness and takes full advantage of modern information and communication technology (ICT) for greater outreach and cost-effectiveness.
