Director-General highlights power of science and technology in closing remarks to Joint Meeting of FAO Programme and Finance Committees
Rome – Science, technology and digitalization will have increasing influence in our lives in the future, including in areas such as the environment, agriculture and the economy, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said Friday in remarks to the Joint Meeting of the 135th Session of the Programme Committee and 195th Session of the Finance Committee.
The two bodies meet twice a year to review FAO management plans and make recommendations to the FAO Council on programmatic and budgetary matters related to the work of the Organization.
The Director-General thanked the members for their review of the proposed Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) for 2024-2025, which includes a request to partially offset decreasing purchasing power due to inflation over the past 12 years during which time FAO’s nominal budget has remained unchanged.
“I appreciate your understanding of the importance of supporting the Organization during this time when so much is expected and requested of us,” Qu said.
He noted that FAO’s skills and services to Members are particularly focused on longer term investments that can pre-empt much more costly spending in the future. While voluntary contributions to FAO have increased greatly in recent years, the PWB sets the tone for years into the future, boosting FAO’s capacities in terms of talent recruitment and the delivery of services, advice and public goods. Members, especially richer ones, should adopt a “no regrets” approach and “take historic responsibility”, the Director-General said.
Qu also extolled rapid technological innovations, noting the novel COVID-19 vaccines and in particular the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence applications.
New technologies can help establish greater transparency, the Director-General said, adding thanks to FAO staff and Members for helping the Organization be a digital pioneer amongst its peers.
There is real work to do to harness technologies that are destined to change livelihoods, society, economy and the environment, and FAO’s stakeholders must be “young at heart and learn together”, he said.