Director-General and Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stress the importance of new special report on climate

3 October 2019, Rome - FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu met with Dr. Hoesung Lee, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to explore ways to further strengthen exchanges and information sharing.

The IPCC Chair introduced the successful publication IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land and highlights of the special report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate and highlighted FAO’s contribution to the reports.

Both parties agreed that reducing food losses and waste globally is essential for climate change, and noted that reducing food losses is more urgent for developing countries. They also discussed the recent Climate Change Summit, held by the United Nations in New York, and emphasized the urgent need to act now.

The Director-General expressed appreciation for IPCC’s proposal to hold Assemblies in FAO, during the first half of 2020, and suggested that national Agriculture Ministers be invited to attend the event and exchange views with Environment Ministers.

Dr. Qu and Dr. Hoesung Lee outlined the crucial contribution of agriculture, including crop farming, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry to the mitigation of climate change.