Director-General highlights to Oversight Advisory Committee that FAO will become more agile, modern and digital

27 July 2020, Rome - The FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today addressed the 55th meeting of the recently renamed FAO Oversight Advisory Committee, which was previously called Audit Committee and met virtually for the first time. 

Qu highlighted that the recent internal reforms approved by the FAO Council will pave the way for the Organization to be more agile and modern, based on a modular management structure, towards a “One FAO” by avoiding silos and working in an integrated and complementary manner. This will also contribute to strengthen FAO’s focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and leaving no one behind.  

The Director-General praised the work of the Oversight Advisory Committee and welcomed functional suggestions to make FAO more efficient, such as reinforcing the accountability of senior managers, which will be taken into account by the new Human Resources Strategy. 

Qu mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed great challenges but also presented opportunities for FAO to become more digital and introduce new methods of work. In this sense, he said that an Action Plan will be developed taking into consideration suggestions from the staff, which has been consulted through a satisfaction survey. A task force will also be set-up with participation from staff at all grades and in all offices.

The staff satisfaction survey has indicated that FAO staff are proud to work for the Organization and that they are aware of the ultimate goal of their contributions.

The Director-General also highlighted the achievement of a renewed trust and strong communication with the staff representative bodies, in order to pay attention to their concerns on several issues, including recruitment, career development, mobility, conflict resolution and flexible work arrangements.