INITIATIVES IN NEWS: HAND IN HAND, MUSANED

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Context:

Hand in Hand and Musaned Initiatives are in the News.

About Hand in Hand 

The Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum 2024 was organized in Rome, Italy during the World Food Forum.

This year, 72 countries have joined the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, a key program launched by QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The Initiative has attracted more than $3 billion in investments in the agri-food sector. The proposed investment cases have the potential to attract up to six times that amount.

Significance

The Hand-in-Hand Initiative, along with the Investment Forum aims to bridge the financing gap by focusing on vulnerable regions, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and countries facing food crisis.

The Forum acts as a platform for building partnerships; it connects investors, multilateral development banks, private sectors, and other stakeholders.

One of the main features of the forum is the private bilateral "matchmaking" meetings that FAO facilitates between ministers and senior officials.

About Musaned Initiatives

Musaned is a digital platform launched by Saudi Arabia to protect the rights of foreign workers in the country.

This platform will benefit workers from many countries, including at least ten African nations like Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, and Kenya, as well as nine Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

It secures the rights of workers and helps them to create a stable working environment, by making the employment process more transparent and secure.

Workers can check their work agreements through the Musaned app, which will help them understand their rights and responsibilities.

Source: 

FAO

The Hindu

PRACTICE QUESTION Q.Consider the following statements: 1.  Musaned platform has been launched by Saudi Arabia to secure working conditions for foreign workers. 2. The Hand-in-Hand Initiative was launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Which of the above statements is/are correct? A) 1 only B) 2 only C) Both 1 and 2 D) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: A Explanation: Statement 1 is correct:  The Musaned platform was launched by Saudi Arabia to streamline the recruitment process for workers in the country. Statement 2 is incorrect:  The Hand-in-Hand Initiative was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to accelerate agricultural transformation and sustainable rural development to eradicate poverty and hunger.