A new feeling of One FAO that connects all employees

12 June 2020, Rome – It was a gathering with a difference.  Thousands of beaming faces tuning in from places as far-flung as one can imagine. The first ever “town hall” meeting of FAO staff members all over the world was in session, online, on 4 June. There were close to 4,300 participants.

QU Dongyu, the Director General, started by inviting colleagues to greet each other in their own languages. The on-screen chat-box was instantly flooded by hundreds of greetings, coming from all over the world, in all kinds of scripts. The excitement and the sense of connection were there for all to see.      

“I am very happy to have this big family reunion,” said Qu. “This is what we are, one big family.”

Welcome to the new FAO, where everyone feels part of the bigger picture.

“This is the first time in my more than five years stay with FAO that I have had the chance to engage in a discussion with senior FAO officials, and also with colleagues from around the globe,” Tamara Palis-Duran, from FAO’s office in the Philippines, reflected after the event.

Claudia Pereira, from FAO’s office in Mozambique said she felt “connected with the FAO family, connected with our Director-General and senior management. To see them, to listen to them and to be able to interact with them at the same level, is extremely important and a great motivation to all of us.”

“I just felt like FAO’s extended family sat around the dinner table on this special day,” said Meshack Malo in South Sudan.

For Mina Dowlatchahi in Pakistan, the experience was “making FAO employees feel emotionally connected … in times of physical distancing! But not just that - it brings to life the vision of the new Director-General of a more agile, modular management with a human face, and brings closer all FAO employees around the world.”

This was just a sampling of the reflections on FAO’s first ever “town hall” involving staff based in the field. It followed the success of the first town hall held in April with over 2,000 Rome-based employees participating virtually.

“Thanks to all your efforts, FAO adapted very well to the new realities,” the Director-General told the packed virtual town hall. “We became more digital than ever before!”

He noted that the use of all digital tools multiplied by five since FAO started teleworking, and there were about 1,500 online meetings held everyday across FAO.     

During a very challenging time, FAO colleagues were there “strengthening each other, inspiring each other and standing together!”, Qu said. He expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by all the employees, saying he was “particularly proud to see that productivity went up in these past months, despite the difficult circumstances”, noting that FAO’s good work in response to the pandemic has been recognised by Members and partners.

Staff unions representatives spoke at the town hall, expressing appreciations of the management’s engagement and transparency. Employees from different regions of the world also spoke, raising questions and making suggestions. There were also thousands of entries in the chat box, with all the questions to be compiled and answered later on.

Before the town hall ended, the Director-General urged colleagues to remain vigilant and “continue protecting yourself and your loved-ones.” 

“We are in this together, and we will get through this together!”, Qu concluded, “in brotherhood, sisterhood, in solidarity, as one big family!”

Under Qu, who took up the position of Director-General just months before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, FAO has been quick to adapt to the needs that stem from a time of great, worldwide uncertainty. This has spawned a series of initiatives that are optimizing the way the UN agency operates.

Qu noted that the crisis also had presented opportunities, allowing FAO to do things differently and smartly. Making FAO more transparent and accountable has been high on Qu’s agenda since he took office last August, and he has taken advantage of virtual connectivity that has become a necessity during the pandemic, creating several historic “firsts” in FAO history. Bedsides the two staff town hall meetings, the Director-General held in April a virtual meeting with all FAO country and regional representatives to discuss FAO’s responses to COVID-19. It was the first time in history all FAO representatives came together in one meeting.     

It was followed by an informal, virtual briefing held by the Director-General with Permanent Representatives of the FAO Members, on emergency livelihoods interventions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A dedicated WhatsApp group was set up after the meeting, allowing Permanent Representatives to be in constant and regular communication with FAO management and with each other.

This week saw two other “firsts” in FAO history.  The Joint Meeting of the Finance and Programme Committees, normally held behind closed doors, was livestreamed on the intranet for all staff members to follow. And the Director-General participated and addressed the virtual assembly of the Union of Local and Non-local General Service Staff.

The working of the Youth and Women’s Committees, two staff bodies created by the Director-General upon taking his office, has also become more digitalized, with regularly held events including “virtual teas” and “innovation Wednesdays” that have created a relaxed environment for colleagues to share experiences with each other and get advice from experts.

“The town hall meeting symbolizes a major cultural shift for FAO, and the Director General is so close to us,” said one participant in this week’s town hall.

In the words of another, Clara Park from FAO’s Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa: “You could tell from the comments in the chat box that people were truly excited and asking more of this kind of opportunities! Technology was of course a tremendous enabler. But what really made the difference were the DG’s and everybody’s genuine openness, care for each other especially in these difficult times and commitment to FAO’s mission and UN values. These animated the conversation and energized us all in incredible ways. The positive vibes were travelling across the world and making it through our screens!”