Director-General met several authorities on the occasion of the 36th Session of the Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific
Dhaka--The Asia-Pacific visit of FAO Director-General QU Dongyu on the occasion of the 36th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, provided an important opportunity to meet Ministers and Senior Representatives from relevant Ministries for FAO’s mandate from Member Nations in the region.
On the side lines of the Regional Conference, a bilateral meeting was held with the Minister of Agriculture of Bangladesh, Mohammad Abdur Razzaque MD, on 9 March. The Director-General commended the remarkable progress that the country had achieved and expressed his confidence that Bangladesh would soon transition to a middle-income country. He confirmed FAO’s strong commitment to further strengthen collaboration with Bangladesh; and noted that collaboration through FAO’s Hand-in-Hand initiative, together with an investment plan supported by Bangladesh, would lead to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development.
The Minister highlighted the Government’s achievements in reducing poverty, growing the economy, and enhancing productivity. Both sides emphasised the importance of science and innovation, investment, new business models, market engagement, a clear strategy, and capacity building.
At a meeting with the country’s Sectorial Ministers, the Director-General called on Ministers to take ownership of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, and to work with FAO to transform agrifood systems.
Ministers and Senior Advisors discussed with the Director-General on how to address challenges such as market access, price fluctuations, research and development, seasonal poverty, finance, and water scarcity.
Solutions for small-scale and family farmers, meaningful digitalization, empowering female farmers, and the need for capacity building, and adaptation to climate change were also discussed.
In the meeting with the Secretary for Agriculture of the Philippines, the FAO Director-General was commended for his leadership in advancing the transformation of agrifood systems at the global, regional and local level. He also praised FAO’s internal reform process since the Director-General took office. The Director-General commended the good cooperation between FAO and the Philippines under the Secretary’s tenure
In the bilateral meeting with the Vice-Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia, the Director-General conveyed FAO’s commitment to support Mongolia to transform its agrifood systems, especially in the animal husbandry sector. The Vice Minister emphasized the need for cooperation with FAO on South-South and Triangular Cooperation, digital agriculture, foot-and-mouth disease prevention and control, as well as technical assistance in the forestry sector to facilitate its national plan to plant one billion trees by 2030, in order to combat environmental degradation and desertification.
The Vice Minister for Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR sought FAO’s support for the country’s four priorities: food and nutrition security; commercialization; sustainable forestry management; and rural development. In response, the Director-General emphasized that through the Hand-in-Hand initiative, FAO is supporting the development of an investment plan for landlocked Lao PDR that aims to build up the Green Growth Economic Corridor.
In the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, the Director-General stressed that FAO stands ready to provide further technical support to Sri Lanka to develop chemical-free pesticides and fertilizers. The Director-General encouraged the Minister to join the Hand-in-Hand initiative, South-South and Triangular Cooperation, and the One Country One Priority Commodity initiative.
The Director-General also met with three Ministers from Papua New Guinea (PNG): Agriculture and Livestock; Communications and Information Technology; Community Development, Youth and Religion. During the discussion on how to transform agrifood systems in PNG, both sides agreed that it was crucial to prioritize commercialization and access to markets; develop science-based solutions through the Hand-in-Hand initiative; develop a national strategy and investment plan for agrifood system transformation and rural development; and to establish a national monitoring service centre for food security and safety. The Minister of Communications and Information Technology informed of a newly established division in the Ministry that directly interacts with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, as well as with FAO, focusing on agri-infrastructure, digital transformation policy-making, and value chains. The Minister of Community Development, Youth and Religion stressed the importance of tackling malnutrition, especially in children.
In the bilateral meeting with the Vice Minister of Agriculture of Japan, the Director-General concurred with the Vice Minister’s appeal to further strength FAO’s work in Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) within the context of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31. Both sides agreed to strengthen synergies for follow up to the UN Food Systems Summit, and Nutrition for Growth Summit.
During the meeting with the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal, the Secretary commended FAO’s technical and facilitation support for the formulation of the National Investment Plan, and for the development of climate-smart agriculture through the Hand-in-Hand initiative. Both sides discussed the formulation of the Country Programming Framework 2023-27, which will focus on sustainable and competitive production systems, resilient natural resources management, and inclusive and gender-sensitive livelihood enhancement.
At a meeting with representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Director-General stressed that CSOs are important allies for FAO. He emphasized that stronger and more strategic partnerships with a wider and more diverse spectrum of stakeholders was critical to accelerate transformation of agrifood systems, making them more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
The Director-General met the World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, and emphasized the important role that the FAO Investment Centre could play in amplifying World Bank investments in agriculture and rural development. He suggested that existing cooperation could be deepened by anchoring in on the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, which would help to deliver results in the 20 Programme Priority Areas.
Through the FAO Investment Centre, FAO provides technical assistance to three World Bank projects covering livestock, fisheries, and forestry, to the value of USD 10 million. By leveraging comparative advantages and by working together through FAO’s Hand-in-Hand initiative, FAO and the World Bank could deliver further impact.