FAO Director-General and the President of Ecuador discuss ways to transform agrifood systems and promote the country’s main agriculture products
Quito - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, met on the margins of the 37th Session of the Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC), in Quito. President Lasso was accompanied by the Vice-President Alfredo Borrero and several Ecuadorian Ministers.
The Director-General and the President expressed their great satisfaction for the return of LARC to Ecuador after 73 years – the first ever Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Quito in 1949.
In their discussion, they recognized the challenging moment facing global agrifood systems due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising food prices and the conflict in Ukraine.
President Lasso commended FAO for its outstanding achievements under the Director-General’s leadership and highlighted the importance of the collaboration and technical assistance provided by FAO. He pointed out that it is fundamental for Ecuador to develop and upgrade its agriculture sectors, particularly crops and fisheries.
The President highlighted Ecuador’s priorities and efforts, including to tackle Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4), one of the most destructive diseases afflicting banana production, as well as the childhood malnutrition in the country.
The FAO Director-General, in turn, acknowledged Ecuador as one of FAO’s founding Members, and thanked the country for its longstanding commitment to the Organization’s mandate.
He stressed FAO’s continued support for Ecuador to transform its agrifood systems to make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable, as well as the importance of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 as a pathway to better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The Director-general ensured FAO’s support in the fight against the TR4 disease and malnutrition. He also noted that Ecuador enjoys comparative advantage in many fields and could develop a strong national industry for exports. In relation to this, the Director-General suggested Ecuador makes use of platforms such as the FAO One Country One Priority Product initiative.
The Director-General also presented President Lasso with a poem, created and hand-written by him in Chinese calligraphy in dedication to Ecuador.