FAO Director-General meets with President Lula as trip to Latin America and the Caribbean comes to an end

Havana – On the sidelines of the G77+China Summit in Havana, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the end of a six-day trip to Latin America and the Caribbean in which he visited Brazil and Cuba.

President Lula highlighted that his government is focused on combating hunger and inequality globally and will continue to undertake  further actions to achieve these goals and to  mobilize the international community. In this context, President Lula stressed that FAO could play a fundamental role considering its standing, technical expertise, and knowledge.

The Director-General underlined that FAO is ready to support the Brazilian presidency of the G20 in 2024 to place issues related to food security and nutrition at the top of the international agenda. Qu also noted that FAO stands ready to support Brazil with the preparation of COP 30 in Belém (in 2025), as well as with efforts to promote cooperation between Amazonian countries and coordination among countries of the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong basins.

The pair discussed the importance of strengthening the Brazil-FAO partnership to support countries in the Global South through Triangular and South-South Cooperation, based on the signing of the letter of intent for the implementation of the Josué de Castro Center in Brazil and the vast knowledge and expertise of Embrapa.

Director-General Qu visited Brazil from 11 to 13 September, during which he met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira; the Minister for Rural Development and Family Farming, Paulo Teixeira; the Minister for Social Development, Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Wellington Dias; the Minister for Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes; the acting Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Iraja Lacerda; the President of Embrapa, Silvia Massruhá, and the Secretary-General of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, María Alexandra Moreira López.