FAO and World Bank complement each other’s work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

19 September 2019, Washington DC – FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and World Bank Vice President, Sustainable Development, Laura Tuck, today discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two organizations, including on the Hand-In-Hand Initiative which is being developed by FAO.

In particular, the two sides agreed to strengthen collaboration to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“We complement each other’s work,” Qu said, at a meeting which was also attended by other senior FAO and World Bank officials.

Qu stressed that the partnership with FAO – which is the longest-standing between the World Bank and any other organization- is vital in order to achieve the SDGs, particularly SDG 1 and 2.

The FAO Director-General underscored FAO’s focus on rural development and the agriculture sectors in efforts to end hunger and poverty and how the Hand-In-Hand initiative targets least developed and landlocked countries, as well as small island states.

“If we don’t address the problems facing these regions will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said, noting that to do this requires innovation - including transferring technology, especially digital, to farmers in developing countries - capacity building and investments.

Tuck welcomed the Hand-In-Hand Initiative and its focus on bridging knowledge gaps and information sharing, noting that data is key, including in the agriculture sectors, for development work that is low on emissions of green-house gases, builds resilience, and makes efficient use of natural resources.

She also agreed with the need to increase investments in sustainable development and the role that the World Bank and FAO can play to create an enabling environment for this to happen ensuring that policies and actions are based on “good analytics”.