Bilateral meeting with the Minister for Environment and Energy Security of Italy – H. E. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met at FAO headquarters in Rome with H.E. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister for Environment and Energy Security of Italy.

The Director-General thanked the Minister for Italy’s longstanding support to FAO as host country. He updated the Minister on FAO’s Strategy on Climate Change, the Science and Innovation Strategy, and Strategy for Private Sector Engagement, highlighting that a better environment is an important pillar for FAO. In that regard, he mentioned that FAO has become a paperless Organization, by leveraging the potential of the digital FAO.

The Minister mentioned that the challenges related to climate change are huge, especially on the most vulnerable countries, and food security is a major concern. In that regard, he recalled the support that Italy is providing through the Italian Climate Fund, dedicated to the introduction of clean technologies and the adaptation to climate change, that was launched at COP27. The fund will dedicate 840 million Euro per year, for the period 2022-2026.

The Minister also mentioned that Italy has been facing the worst drought in 70 years that led to the country declaring a state of emergency in five northern regions, and drinking water was being rationed in hundreds of municipalities. The situation is expected to worsen in 2023 following an exceptionally low winter rainfall.

The pair further discussed the importance of the youth to help fight the climate crisis, and work on a better future for all. In that respect, the Director-General recalled he had established the FAO Youth Committee and FAO Women's Committee immediately after taking office in 2019.

The pair agreed to continue strengthening the excellent relations between FAO and Italy, working collectively to achieve common objectives like integrated water management and environmental restoration, also within the context of key global fora such as among others the upcoming COP28 and the G7, for which Italy will take over the Presidency in 2024.