Read-out of bilateral meeting between FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

1 July 2021, Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), met today to discuss cooperation between the two organizations.

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of partnership between FAO and UNDP, and the ongoing positive, collegial collaboration.

The Director-General and UNDP Administrator shared views on the importance of innovation, technology, the holistic design of development programmes and policies, and other areas to building resilient agri-food systems and addressing the many challenges the agriculture sectors face, in particular climate change.

The Principals also discussed their recent attendance to the G20 meetings in southern Italy, noting the meetings provided an excellent opportunity to mobilize consensus around the importance of development issues and the role of agri-food systems in particular.

They alluded to the importance of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs as the ‘compass’ that guides collective actions in designing development interventions to support Members, through a coordinated approach between the UN family and their many partners and stakeholders.

The Principals discussed the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit, noting its importance in maintaining agri-food systems transformation high on the international agenda.

The Director-General noted that youth are critical to the future of agri-food systems. In that respect, he informed the UNDP Administrator that the first World Food Forum (WFF) will take place in October 2021, after the UN Food Systems Summit.

The WFF is a youth-led movement and network, initiated by FAO’s Youth Committee, to transform agri-food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular “zero hunger”.  The event will take place on an annual basis to help provide focus on the importance of agri-food systems transformation moving forward.

The Director-General also highlighted that FAO’s new Strategic Framework was recently endorsed by the FAO Conference. The Strategic Framework seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The Principals also exchanged ideas on the importance of holistic design and addressing inequalities in development programmes and policies, with cross-sectoral coordination playing a key role.

The Director-General stressed that investment, innovation, infrastructure and capacity-building are also critical areas of focus that can help catalyze agri-food systems transformation, and indicated that UNDP could play an important role in advocacy for these areas at UN headquarters in New York.

For his part, the UNDP Administrator indicated that FAO and UNDP could play a catalytic role by looking at the linkages between agri-food systems and the broader development of rural economies, considering that agri-food systems can act as an engine for rural development.

The two Principals also highlighted the critical role that digitalization and digital solutions can play in rural areas and in providing broader market access to small farmers.  Importantly, consideration should be given not only to providing digital tools for farmers, but to the development of a digital economy and services that support the move towards more digital societies.

The Administrator expressed his appreciation for FAO’s leadership on matters related to food loss and waste, noting the critical role this issue plays in terms of sustainable production and consumption at large.

The Administrator also noted the recent appointment of a new Director of the UNDP Rome Centre, adding that this will provide an opportunity for more regular engagement and coordination on matters related to FAO-UNDP collaboration.

The Principals agreed to continue and intensify the positive collaboration between the two agencies moving forward.