Director-General heralds new, transparent approach in briefing to FAO Member States

9 September 2019, Rome – The FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu invited Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives from the agency’s Member States to an informal briefing on Monday where he reviewed some of the changes and reforms made during his first five weeks in office.

 

The meeting was characterized by a high level of transparency as well as constructive, frank and open discussions. This was considered unprecedented, at least in the last 50 years of FAO’s history, according to some of the more seasoned diplomats present.

 

Noting that there would be “more to come” Qu stressed that the briefing is part of his “open door and participatory approach” at the helm of FAO, and invited member states to be in close and frequent contacts with him. 

 

For their part, many of the representatives of Member States expressed their appreciation for the Director-General’s new approach and his actions to date. 

 

In particular, they lauded the concrete steps he has taken to improve internal governance at FAO, including boosting staff morale.

 

The representatives also welcomed Qu’s reaching out to the Member States, his efforts to scale up efforts to realize the Sustainable Development Goals, and his endeavours to safeguard and promote FAO’s reputation, including as a knowledge-based organization. 

 

The Director-General and the Member States agreed that transparency, inclusiveness and accountability must continue to be a core element of FAO’s culture. 

 

The informal briefing also served as an opportunity for FAO to present the new Hand-in-Hand Initiative. This is still being fine-tuned, but many member states welcomed how the Initiative prioritizes targeted work that benefits people in the world’s most vulnerable regions.