Director-General pays tribute to outgoing WTO Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo

27 August 2020, Rome/Geneva - The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, QU Dongyu, today congratulated Roberto Azevêdo on his service as Director-General of the World Trade Organization and paid tribute to his efforts to strengthen co-operation between the two agencies.

QU noted the emphasis that Azevêdo had given to agriculture and food security which have become more prominent issues in Geneva during his mandate as well as his efforts to promote a more open and transparent multilateral trading system.

Azevêdo who comes from Brazil, has been Director-General of the WTO since September 2013. He will leave his current position to join PepsiCo as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in September.

The Director-General also alluded to FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, a priority for the Organization that offers opportunities for greater collaboration and joint support for the agricultural transformation of vulnerable countries by matchmaking donors with those with the highest rates of poverty and hunger.

Azevêdo expressed interest in building strong relations with FAO, particularly as PepsiCo focuses a large part of its portfolio on the food and agriculture sectors.

FAO and the WTO have had strong collaboration during negotiations on fisheries subsidies and have worked on many initiatives together including a joint statement with WHO on the need to keep trade and supply chains open during the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of World Cotton Day in Geneva in October 2019.