FAO and Université Laval strengthen partnership with signing of new strategic agreement
©Dany Vachon
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Université Laval (UL) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The five-year MoU outlines actions to ensure food security by combatting climate change and promoting the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for resilient agrifood systems.
FAO and UL have committed to continue strengthening scientific evidence, training the next generation of professionals, and providing support to governments and policymakers to overcome urgent global challenges brought on by climate change and biodiversity loss. This cooperation was highlighted at therecent International Symposium “Agriculture, Biodiversity and Food Security” From Commitments to Actions, which took place in Quebec City, Canada from 30 April-2 May 2024.
“This new partnership agreement is strategic to FAO, marking a significant step forward in our efforts with Université Laval to support better understanding and use of agriculture and food system solutions to tackle the climate, biodiversity and food security challenges that countries are facing” said Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment at FAO.
“The signing of this new agreement between Université Laval and FAO demonstrates our shared commitment to moving from words to action”
said Mr François Gélineau, Vice-Rector, International Affairs and Sustainable Development at Université Laval
“…by combining our efforts, we aim to contribute to the deployment of a robust roadmap for biodiversity protection, with the ultimate goal of reversing the current trend. Biodiversity is at the heart of Université Laval's concerns, as evidenced by our sustainable development strategy, which guides our actions towards maximum impact. We are proud to actively participate in finding solutions for sustainable food and a healthy planet, in partnership with key actors like FAO. Together, we can make a difference and create a more resilient future for all”, he added.
This MoU builds on a history of successful collaboration. The FAO-UL partnership dates to 2017, when it was established at the International Symposium on “Food Security and Nutrition in the Age of Climate Change”. Since then, FAO and UL have collaborated strategically through shared learning, joint knowledge production and advocacy to support the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals 2-Zero Hunger, 13-Climate Action and 15-Life on land. More specifically the partnership has facilitated the development of a series of agroforestry knowledge products which support policy development and project implementation. The partnership also supported the co-organization of the Fifth World Agroforestry Congress, the development of a UL micro-programme on agroforestry and a UL master’s programme on food security, and the implementation of the Strengthening Agricultural Adaptation (SAGA) project in Senegal and Haiti, funded by the Government of Quebec.
Based in Quebec City, Université Laval is one of Canada’s largest universities and a leader in research and innovation. The university’s contribution to the field of sustainable development has also been widely recognized; it is ranked 4th in the world for climate action measures by the Times Higher Education Supplement and received a second gold rating from the international Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) programme for more than 10 years of outstanding commitment to the field.