Bilateral meeting with the Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom – the Right Honourable Andrew Mitchell

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met in Rome with the Right Honourable Andrew Mitchell, Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom.

The pair discussed the important role digital technologies in agrifood systems play to advance the lives of people in rural communities, for example through digital farmer services and mobile money. They also discussed the impact of the climate crisis on vulnerable countries and rural communities, and the need to invest in agrifood systems that can provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions for farmers and pastoralist.

The Minister commended the important role FAO plays as guardian of data, statistics and knowledge on food and agriculture, and for the important work on Science and Innovation, Climate Change, One Health and Global Food Security. He underlined the commitment of the United Kingdom to continue championing Global Public Goods.

The Director-General thanked the Minister for the quick and generous support provided by the United Kingdom to address the Locust outbreak in 2020. He further mentioned the Hand in Hand Geospatial Platform as a good example that countries can use for better data driven strategic investments in agrifood systems, as well as the World Food Forum (WFF) that will take place from 16 to 20 October 2023 in Rome, that functions as a platform for youth action, science and innovation, and investment.