Unilever, METRO and Nestlé are just some of the supermarket-related businesses signing up to a pioneering collaboration of public and private sector partners for the ‘Declaration of Abu Dhabi for Global Food Security through Good Agricultural Practices’, which was launched in Abu Dhabi this week.
Initiated by GLOBALG.A.P., Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform and the International Trade Centre, the collaboration aims to identify, align and implement practical and viable solutions in response to growing global food security challenges.
Along with Unilever, METRO and Nestlé SA, other early signatories to the declaration include VBT - Association of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives, GS1, The Sustainability Consortium, and LEAF.
The launch event was held in conjunction with the GLOBALG.A.P. SUMMIT 2014 this week.
Today is dedicated to the declaration with signatories sharing their support and participating in its official signing ceremony.
The signatories met up for their inaugural assembly today with a democratic governance structure, transparent process and initial milestones being put in place.
The initiative is an open call for global collaboration to find new approaches that will make it easier, more cost effective, and more attractive for farmers worldwide to adopt safe, responsible and sustainable production practices.
This will make markets more accessible for farmers, and help them sustain their livelihoods as well as reduce poverty and malnutrition.
The declaration unites public and private partners committed to developing and adopting three important measures: a common set of good agricultural practices, a system for uniquely identifying every farm that is recognised by all stakeholders, and a mechanism for securing the commitment and reporting by supply-chain partners.
The common set of practices builds upon established and ongoing work in all aspects of good agriculture and aquaculture practices, including food safety, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility.
Puvan Selvanathan, head of food & agriculture at the United Nation Global Compact, said: "The UN Global Compact is fully committed to collaborating with The Declaration of Abu Dhabi. We want to ensure alignment. We want to avoid duplication of efforts. And we want to maximise our collective impact."
To find out more about the Declaration of Abu Dhabi and how to become a signatory, please visit www.declaration-of-abu-dhabi.org.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine
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