New York – Director-General QU Dongyu met today with Her Majesty Queen Letizia of the Kingdom of Spain and FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition, on the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The Director-General expressed his appreciation for Her Majesty’s ongoing support to the work of FAO, in particular in her role as FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition.
For her part, the Her Majesty the Queen expressed her continued support to the work of FAO. She also referenced the Global Food Security Summit held earlier in the day (20 September), co-chaired by Spain, the United States of America, the African Union, and the European Union, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In particular, she noted the commitment of Spain to the food security issues brought about by the global food crisis.
The Director-General informed Her Majesty of some of the key developments in FAO since they last met at the end of 2019. He highlighted that through a number of reforms emplaced FAO had become more dynamic, agile and fit for purpose, and noted that the FAO Ministerial Conference in 2021 had endorsed the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 to guide the work of the Organization over the next decade in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He also informed Her Majesty of the two new thematic strategies on Climate Change, and on Science and Innovation, as well as the Strategy on Private Sector Engagement, adopted by FAO Members to support implementation of the Strategic Framework. He further informed of the newly established FAO Office of Innovation, and FAO Office of Sustainable Development Goals, to strengthen support to Members on these key areas of work.
The Director-General also informed Her Majesty that the World Food Forum, the Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum would take place in Rome, Italy, during the week of 17-21 October, to catalyze action, promote investment and build partnerships.
Finally, the Director-General expressed his hope that Her Majesty would visit FAO in the near future.
