Tag Archives: ASEAN

AICS Hanoi at MACFRUT 2024: Agricultural mechanization to mitigate the effects of climate change and foster development in Southeast Asia

Hanoi, May 13th — The AICS Hanoi Office participated on May 8th-10th in MACFRUT 2024, one of the largest fairs dedicated to the fruit and vegetable sector held in Rimini, Italy.

The event opened with a speech by AICS Director Marco Rusconi entitled ‘Cooperating for Innovation: the Mattei’s Plan applied in local realities’ where he emphasized the importance of innovation and its relevance as driving force behind the Italian Agency’s interventions.

Aics Director, Marco Rusconi, visiting AICS Hanoi Desk

The event was attended by thirteen AICS offices, each of which showcased their initiatives, results and sectoral partnerships. In representation of AICS Hanoi office, David Cecchi, Program Officer for the Italy-ASEAN Development Partnership, and Tiziana Fusco, former Head of Office of AICS Hanoi until March 31st, took part in the event, seizing the opportunity to present one of the Office’s projects addressed to ASEAN Member States in the field of innovation “Scientific and Technical Support to ASEAN Countries for Sustainable Agriculture – 3S“.

The initiative, still pending for approval by the ASEAN Secretariat, aims to strengthen resilience to climate change and promote socio-economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural practices within ASEAN. The presentation also involved the representatives of the Consortium that will implement the initiative, namely: Prof. Roberto Guidetti from UNIMI, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Territorial Production, Agroenergy, a leading institution; Prof. Matteo Dall’Acqua, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa; Dr Carlo Fadda and Andrea Ghione, from Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, respectively Director of research and Project leader.

According to their different sphere of expertise, they will follow the implementation of the initiative by introducing sustainable agricultural solutions and agricultural mechanization for the corn, cassava, and sugar cane supply chains.

The identification and implementation of a methodology aimed at strengthening the ASEAN Member States’ production capacity and agricultural competitiveness will guarantee greater food security in the Member States recipients of the initiative. Additionally, the execution of a pilot project in one of ASEAN Member States will develop a model for strengthening production chains that could be used and adapted to other geographical contexts and further agricultural supply chains. The sector expertise made available by the implementing Consortium will support the development of environmentally friendly, user-friendly and smart solutions capable of responding to the adverse effects of climate change, confirming the innovative spirit of the initiatives of the Italian Agency for Cooperation to Development in Southeast Asia.

Finally, the project’s implementation will reinforce the status of Italy as ASEAN development partner, obtained in September 2020.

AICS and MUFPP: A Collaborative Effort for the Promotion of Sustainable Food Systems in Schools in Vietnam

Group picture at Casa Italia, after the meeting

Hanoi, May 15 – The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact – MUFPP is an international agreement between cities around the world committed “to developing sustainable, inclusive, resilient, safe  and diversified food systems to guarantee healthy and accessible food for all within a framework of rights-based action, to reduce food waste, preserve biodiversity and to mitigate the effects of climate change.” The framework for action also contributes to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda locally. Launched on October 16 2015, at the Milan Expo, themed “Feeding the planet, life energy”, the MUFPP addresses various nutrition-related challenges, including food insecurity, malnutrition, sustainability and food waste. Currently, 280 cities around the world have joined the Pact.

Since the end of 2019, the Italy-ASEAN Association, recognizing the global importance of food sustainability systems through City Diplomacy, has partnered with the Municipality of Milan to raise awareness among ASEAN countries about this crucial issue. As a result, the MUFPP has been extended to the Southeast Asia region with the project “Spreading Experience and Knowledge on School Meal Programs in ASEAN Cities”. This initiative aims to disseminate expertise between cities, facilitate and promote knowledge exchange and experiences in food policy and food system transformation, and support them in identifying the best strategy to address their local problems with a multi-sectoral approach, to guarantee the right to nutritious food for all. So far, 18 cities in the ASEAN region have joined the initiative. The AICS Office in Hanoi, within the framework of the Convention signed between the Municipality of Milan and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, has been tasked with supporting the diffusion of the Pact in Vietnam, a Member State of ASEAN, and facilitating the identification and involvement of new municipalities in the country interested in the initiative.

MUFPP Secretary Filippo Gavazzeni

Within this framework, last May 10, in the Sala Generali of Casa Italia, in the presence of the agricultural phytosanitary Expert Renzo Moro of the Italian Embassy in Hanoi, the Infrastructure and WASH Coordinator Luca Sartorelli and the liaison officer Dung Quoc Nguyen of AICS Hanoi, a meeting took place between the MUFPP Delegation, led by Secretary Filippo Gavazzeni visiting the country, accompanied by  Chiara Pontillo, “Rural Development and Food Security” Office of AICS headquarter, and the Representatives of the provinces of Haiphong, Lang Son and Sapa. Bich Pham, Founder of the Slow Food Community of Vietnam, also participated in the meeting. The meeting favoured the exchange and sharing of information on the contents and purposes of the Pact, on the specific Project activated in the ASEAN region and on the food practices and systems in use in Vietnamese schools, providing solid foundations for proactive future collaboration aimed also at to the adhesion of Vietnamese cities to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. The MUFPP delegation will move in the next few days to the towns of Phuc Yen City (North Vietnam), Da Nang, Hue, Tam Ky and Hoi An (central Vietnam), and Can Tho (South Vietnam) to meet the local authorities and reply information meetings to collect as many expressions of interest in joining the Pact.

Italy-ASEAN Partnership. AICS Hanoi inaugurates the Project Office in Jakarta

Press Release – Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – AICS Hanoi 

 

Hanoi, 05/19/2024—Annamaria Iotti, Head of Office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Hanoi, went to Jakarta on May 16th to inaugurate the new project office at the Italian Embassy. The branch office will implement the cooperation activities defined by the Italy-ASEAN partnership.

Italy acquired the status of ASEAN Development Partner in September 2020. Since then, AICS, in collaboration with the Embassy of

Benedetto Latteri, Italian Ambassador to Jacarta, Annamaria Iotti, Head of office of AICS Hanoi (left), Luciana Andreini, Italy-ASEAN Partnership Coordinator (right). 

Italy in Jakarta and the ASEAN Secretariat, has promoted various development cooperation initiatives in favour of the area’s countries. Agricultural mechanization, fishing and aquaculture, sustainable tourism and geothermal energy, and health are the areas of projects in which the high expertise of the Italian cooperation system provides a significant contribution in support of the development of communities and territories.

“The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, through the Hanoi field office, which I am honoured to represent, is constantly committed to strengthening the Italy-ASEAN partnership through projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the populations of the region. Partnership is one of the pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and implementing this important collaboration tool is an integral part of our mission. The Project Office, operational from today at the Italian Embassy in Jakarta, will allow the Agency to streamline relations with the ASEAN Secretariat, improving the effectiveness of our cooperation action,” declared Annamaria Iotti to the margin of his visit to Jakarta.

The strategic partnership with ASEAN paves the way for initiatives that reflect the most advanced dynamics of development cooperation. These involve Italian excellence, ranging from civil society organizations to research institutes and universities to the private sector.

Innovative financial instruments, such as Blending and Fondo Clima, can strengthen the adoption of these cooperation methods.

Southeast Asia seems to be a particularly favourable scenario for the concrete implementation of Law No. 125/2014 on cooperation reform and the global partnership outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

AICS Hanoi: mission of Mr Giuseppe Cerasoli, Administrative Deputy Director

Hanoi, 12/09/2024 – In line with the effort to improve the Governance of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, AICS, Mr Giuseppe Cerasoli, Administrative Deputy Director and Head of Corruption Prevention and Transparency of the Agency, conducted a mission to the AICS Office in Hanoi, Vietnam, from the 1st to the 6th of September.

As a government body implementing development cooperation initiatives, AICS plays a pivotal role in the international donor

Ms Margherita Lulli, AICS Hanoi Head of Office, and Mr Giuseppe Cerasoli, Administrative Deputy Director of AICS

community. In this regard, the Agency is required to adapt its procedural systems to global standards and to fulfil specific obligations to be compliant with the status of “Pillar Assessed Entity” authorized to manage European Union funds.

Among the Agency’s Governance progresses and, therefore, in terms of effectiveness at the international level, it is worth mentioning its very recent positioning in the “Good” category of the Transparency Index 2024 (ATI). ATI is the only independent index measuring the transparency of aid from the world’s leading development aid agencies, created by the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), of which AICS has taken part since 2017. The ATI Indicator analyses data at both organizational and implementation projects levels.

The visit of the Deputy Administrative Director, lasting a week, coincided with the arrival and taking up of service of Ms Margherita Lulli, the new Head of AICS Hanoi Office, from September 1st, for a two-year period assignment.

AICS Hanoi Team together with Ms Margherita Lulli and Giuseppe Cerasoli

“The presence in Vietnam of the AICS Headquarters, represented by Mr Cerasoli upon my arrival, that follows the regency of Ms Annamaria Iotti, Head of the AICS Human Resources Department, confirms the commitment and the current strategy of the Agency to enhance the exchange from the centre to the periphery and vice versa, aimed at increasing the efficiency and achieve the common objectives synergically” commented Ms Lulli.

AICS Hanoi is deeply engaged in different sectors, including managing water resources, water sanitation and hygiene (WaSH), the fight against climate change, health, and sustainable rural development in Vietnam, with a noteworthy focus on the circular economy. Further, AICS Hanoi operates in the Philippines, the Small Island States of the Pacific, and at a regional level with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Finally, AICS Hanoi actively participates in humanitarian and peace-building activities in Myanmar and Bangladesh.