Bilateral meeting with the Minister for Agriculture and Food of Norway - H.E. Sandra Borch

Rome – Today the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, held discussions with H.E. Sandra Borch, Minister for Agriculture and Food of Norway.

The Minister congratulated the Director-General with his re-election as head of FAO, and the latter conveyed his appreciation for Norway’s longstanding support to FAO as one of the founding Members and for being a champion of FAO’s Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC) pooled funding tool.

The Minister highlighted the crucial role FAO can play in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and One Health partnership. She also indicated the Organization can count on Norway’s active support in implementing the Climate Change strategy. In that regard, the Director-General called upon Norway’s support to help Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in preserving their biodiversity.

The pair also discussed ways for FAO and Norway to work together to make rural areas more attractive for young farmers. In that regard, they discussed the important role of infrastructure, water availability, broadband services, and e-commerce. The Director-General mentioned the FAO 1000 Digital Villages Initiative as a good example of FAO’s efforts to better connect rural agriculture production to demand. He also mentioned the Farmer Field Schools innovation through FAO’s Value-Added Impact Initiatives.

The Director-General expressed his appreciation for the leading role of Norway in global public goods, including digital goods, which are foundational in transforming global agrifood systems.