Director-General and State Secretary for Rural Affairs of Sweden discuss ways to further strengthen collaboration
17 October 2019, Rome - FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu met today with the State Secretary for Rural Affairs of Sweden, Mr Per Callenberg, on the sidelines of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which is holding its 46th session this week at FAO headquarters.
The parties discussed the challenge of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and agreed that new innovative solutions are needed to fight AMR.
The State Secretary for Rural Affairs commended the energy and leadership of the Director-General in taking concrete transparent actions to create a dynamic FAO for a better world, and expressed appreciation for the Director-General’s initiatives, including the dialogue with staff as well as the creation of the new Women’s and Youth Committees.
The FAO Director-General presented the Organization’s new Hand-in-Hand initiative, which was welcomed by the State Secretary. The Initiative focuses on matchmaking between high and low-income countries. Both agreed that achieving SDG1 and 2 requires collective action and strong coordination.
The Director-General expressed his gratitude for Sweden’s support to FAO for many years, citing cooperation on integrated, transparent approaches for sustainable forest management as a good example.