Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Fidelis Leite Magalhães, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

Rome – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today with Fidelis Leite Magalhães, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The Minister of the Presidency was joined at the meeting by José Lucas do Carmo da Silva, Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry.

During the meeting the Director-General and the Minister touched on various issues of mutual interest, including the important role that women, youth, science and innovation, and investments can play in transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, resilient, inclusive and sustainable.

In particular, the Minister stressed the importance of increasing local food production and of further developing the aquaculture sector in Timor-Leste in order to improve food security.  He noted that Timor-Leste is working aggressively to reduce wasting, stunting and malnutrition in the country, and looked forward to FAO’s continued support and technical expertise to deepen cooperation in these areas moving forward.

For his part, the Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s support to Timor-Leste, and noted the possibility of linking tourism with agrifood systems transformation in order to improve food security and provide increased support to smallholder farmers.  He also stressed the importance of healthy diets for food security and nutrition in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), while highlighting that e-commerce and digital agriculture are tools that can also help stimulate this transformation.

The Director-General also summarized some of the key reforms he has emplaced in the Organization since 2019 to ensure FAO is fit-for-purpose and equipped to deliver support to all its Members.  In particular, he cited FAO’s new Office of SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs (OSL) and highlighted the Organization’s systematic and structural commitment to do more and better for these countries.  He also referenced the FAO Women’s and Youth Committees, which were established in the Organization for the first time in 2019, and the important support they provide to these key priorities.

The Director-General also informed the Minister that the World Food Forum, the Science and Innovation Forum, and Hand-in-Hand Initiative’s Investment Forum will all be held at FAO headquarters during October 2022.