Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Cary Fowler, Special Envoy for Global Food Security, US Department of State
The Director-General congratulated the Special Envoy on his appointment to the role in May 2022. He also expressed appreciation for US leadership across relevant government departments, including the Department of State, the Department of Agriculture, the US Agency for International Development and many others, for their ongoing, constructive support and collaboration with FAO.
The Director-General also congratulated the United States of America for its recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, noting the important signal the event sends on the importance of food security both domestically and internationally.
For his part, the Special Envoy commended the Director-General for his leadership and the many positive changes he has introduced in the Organization since taking office in 2019.
The Director-General highlighted some of the key changes he has emplaced in the Organization since 2019 to ensure FAO is fit-for-purpose and equipped to deliver effective support to all its Members. In particular, he noted changes in the organizational structure and his focus on staff well-being, while also providing a brief overview of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 and the two new thematic strategies recently emplaced to support it, on Climate Change, and on Science and Innovation, as well as the FAO Strategy for Private Sector Engagement.
The Director-General and the Special Envoy went on to discuss the climate crisis and its impact on agrifood systems, and noted that research and development can play a key role in enabling farmers to produce more with less while adapting to climate change. In this respect, the Special Envoy expressed his hope that FAO and the USA could work together on issues related to crops and climate stresses, in particular on the linkages between nutrition, climate change and adaptation needs in different agro-ecological zones.
The Director-General also informed the Special Envoy that the World Food Forum, the Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum will take place in Rome, Italy during the week of 17-21 October, and expressed his hope that the Special Envoy could participate in these events.