FAO Deputy Director-General visits Brussels during World Food Week

FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol visited Brussels , where she interacted with a wide range of stakeholders and partners. In addition to a number of events, she also held a series of bilateral meetings with representatives of the European Union institutions (Commission, Parliament and Council presidency) as well as officials from Belgian federal and regional governments. Encounters with civil society and the private sector were also on the intense agenda of this three-day trip.

Bechdol started her mission by participating at a private sector roundtable hosted by FoodDrinkEurope, where she had a fruitful exchange with companies working in the agrifood sector, as well as EU associations based in Brussels.

At a meeting with DG Michael Koehler of the European Commission Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Bechdol acknowledged the excellent cooperation on resilience and emergency matters and acknowledged the important contributions of the European Commission through the Global Network against Food Crises.

Belgium has been a champion of non-earmarked and flexible funding in development cooperation. To discuss this crucial collaboration, Bechdol met with the Head of Cabinet of the Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy Erwin van de Putte. The meeting was also an occasion for FAO DDG Bechdol to thank the Government of Belgium for hosting the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels.

A constructive meeting with UN Brussels Director Camilla Brückner centered around the importance of multilateralism and the current role of the UN System in the global food security crisis. Bechdol is also responsible for heading FAO collaboration efforts with the UN.

At a working breakfast with representatives from the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), coordination of agrifood systems evaluation at country level was discussed, as well as the importance of strategic partnerships with private sector and civil society.

Brussels is an important hub for civil society organizations (CSOs) and Bechdol oversees partnerships between these and FAO. The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels organized a roundtable for DDG Bechdol with CSOs based in the Belgian capital, to discuss the contributions of civil society in transforming agrifood systems.

The Sustainable Development Goals were central to a meeting between DDG Bechdol and representatives of the Toyota Corporation. The meeting focused on exploring possible synergies and avenues for future cooperation, on ways of improving sustainability, which is high on the agenda of both entities.

A meeting with Julie Bynens, Secretary-General at the Flanders Chancellery and Foreign Office, focused on the work of the regional government of Flanders on innovation technologies for climate, food, health and energy. Also on the agenda was the Flanders Traineeship Programme, which enables young people from Flemish universities to apply for internships at the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels.

The Deputy Director-General ended her day by having a working dinner with Members of the European Parliament.

With a speech that paid tribute to farmers, Bechdol was the guest of honour for the FAO Brussels celebration of Word Food Day hosted by the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. “It is a day to recognize all the people working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure we have food on our tables – our food heroes!” said Bechdol, before examining the many issues that need to be addressed in order to ensure that no one is left behind.

The FAO Deputy Director-General’s presence at the World Food Day event was the highlight of the FAO Brussels World Food Day activities, about which you can read more here.

At a meeting with Wolfgang Burtscher, Director-General of the European Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), the two partners discussed the important role of supporting national food systems pathways, and the central role of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, which is hosted at FAO in Rome.

DDG Bechdol ended her mission to Brussels by meeting representatives of the Czech Presidency – Karolína Bartošová, Director, Trade and International Cooperation Department, Czech Ministry of Agriculture and Jitka Látal Znamenáčková, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU. During the encounters, Bechdol highlighted the solid collaboration between FAO Brussels and the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, making a special mention the European Union’s status as a Member Organization of FAO.