Readout of the Director-General’s bilateral meeting with the First Vice-President of Costa Rica, Stephan Brunner
Buenos Aires – Today FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with the First Vice-President of Costa Rica, Stephan Brunner, on the sidelines of the 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The Vice-President noted FAO’s importance and stressed that Costa Rica has been focusing on the sustainable development of family farming and small-scale food production units. In this sense, he suggested that FAO and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), which is based in Costa Rica, strengthen their cooperation.
The Director-General highlighted that Costa Rica has been leading by example in the search for sustainable development and acknowledged the importance of family farming as a key approach for the transformation of agrifood systems to make them more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive.
Qu noted the importance of investing in science and innovation. He mentioned several measures adopted by FAO to support its Members in this field, such as the creation of the position of Chief Scientist, the endorsement of the Science and Innovation Strategy and the establishment of the Science and Innovation Forum as one of the three segments of the World Food Forum.
In relation to climate change, the Vice-President noted that Costa Rica has been adopting measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture waste, as well as to generate electricity from agriculture organic waste. He said the country wants to increasingly substitute fossil fuels by renewable energy sources, as well as to introduce more and more electrical vehicles.
The Director-General noted that FAO has been supporting several countries to reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture, based on the FAO’s Climate Change Strategy. He underscored the potential of reforestation in Costa Rica, considering the country’s favourable geographical position.
Qu also highlighted the potential of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative as an important platform for countries to change business models and transform their agrifood systems.