SNV and WUR Join forces in strategic partnership

11:00 CET, Tuesday 15 February 2022, Den Haag, Netherlands

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, a not-for-profit international development organisation, and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate stronger strategic partnerships and create more impact towards food security, poverty reduction and climate issues.

The agreement highlights areas of collaboration including, but not limited to, climate adaptation and mitigation, youth employment, food systems and systems change. SNV and WUR will build on experience drawn from both organisations and enhance comparative strengths to: form consortiums where relevant, develop and disseminate knowledge and learning products; and collaborate on strategic opportunities.

The organisations work from complimentary perspectives: WUR focuses on knowledge, technology development and action research for evidence, while SNV is a strong implementing partner with long-term presence, strong relationships and technical assistance expertise in Africa, Asia and Central America.

‘At a time of considerable global turmoil and complexity, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing more people into poverty and setting back progress towards the SDGs, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is delighted to deepen our longstanding relationship with Wageningen University & Research.’ said Simon O’Connell, SNV’s Chief Executive Officer. He continued, ‘It represents an important opportunity for both our organisations to scale the impact of our sustainable development-orientated interventions, with local partners. Our contextual knowledge, relationships and practical expertise, and WUR’s academic rigour, research capacities and global influence, entwined in a more strategic, longer-term partnership will enable us to contribute to more lasting, systemic change.'

Louise O. Fresco, president of the executive board of Wageningen University & Research added, ‘We are delighted to announce the formalisation of our long-standing relationship. Our organisations share the view that local impact and sustainable development are bottom-up processes, which depend on strong collaborations with our global partners in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Jointly, we hope to be able to support people who live in poverty through knowledge sharing, innovation, local presence, and practical know-how.’

SNV and WUR have been collaborating on multiple projects, some in the agriculture sector and in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic including PRO-ARIDES in the Sahel region, the CORE project in Africa and the BRIDGE project in Ethiopia. This MoU reaffirms the importance of the partnership.

Notes to Editors:

About SNV

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation that makes a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty by helping them raise incomes and access basic services. We focus on three sectors – agriculture, energy, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) – and have a long-term, local presence in around 24 countries in Asia, Africa,and Latin America. Our team of 1,297 staff is the backbone of SNV.

For more information contact: Dr Gabrielle Daniels-Gombert at gdanielsgombert@SNV.org

About Wageningen University & Research

The mission of Wageningen University and Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its 7,000 employees and 14,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.