Bilateral meeting with the President of Slovenia – H.E. Nataša Pirc Musar

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, today met at FAO headquarters in Rome with H.E. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia.

The Director-General thanked the President for Slovenia’s longstanding partnership with FAO, the long history of friendship and cooperation, and for visiting the FAO Headquarters in Rome to mark the World Bee Day 2023 celebrations.

The pair discussed ways to further enhance cooperation on beekeeping and honey value chain development.  

They also discussed the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators to guarantee sustainable agricultural production, food security and nutrition and provide precious ecosystem services.

The President mentioned that pollinators are critical to the health of ecosystems globally and that the reproduction of almost 90% of wild plant species depends on them, and that Slovenia therefore firmly believes that beekeeping has a unique potential for reducing social and environmental vulnerability.

The Director-General underlined his commitment to ensure pollinator-friendly agricultural production.

They further agreed to continue working together in raising awareness on the key role bees and other pollinators play in achieving food security and the Sustainable Development Goals.