Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Christopher Klein, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Affairs, U.S. Department of State

New York – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and Christopher Klein, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Affairs, met and discussed the longstanding partnership and fruitful collaboration between FAO and the United States of America.

The Director-General and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary acknowledged the deep roots FAO has in North America – reminiscing about the foundation of FAO. They agreed that data, science and innovation are key and common priorities for FAO and the US.

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary expressed appreciation for FAO’s data and analysis on the impact of the war in Ukraine. He also thanked the Director-General for his interventions in the US-convened Ministerial Meeting and Security Council Open Debate on Conflict and Food Security.

The Director-General shared with the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary updates on FAO’s work in Ukraine, including information on its latest humanitarian appeal. He mentioned the importance of investments in agriculture, machinery, water use efficiency and high-quality seeds to produce more with less. He reiterated the importance of FAO’s monitoring and analysis on food prices and fertilizers and the value provided by the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS).