Readout of the Director-General’s bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Andorra, Maria Ubach Font

Rome - Today the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met at FAO headquarters in Rome with Maria Ubach Font, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Andorra.

The Director-General thanked Minister Ubach Font for the longstanding support of Andorra for the UN Mountain Partnership. The Minister underscored the special attention that Andorra gives to supporting this partnership.

The Minister is in Rome to participate in this year’s International Mountain Day celebrations at FAO.

The Director-General noted Andorra’s important contribution in making the Mountain Partnership more visible, and put issues around biodiversity, eco-tourism, conservation, and traditional culture and knowledge at the center of its work.

The Minister informed of Andorra’s proposal for the “Supraforestal Pastures of Andorra” to become a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) site.

The pair agreed that although mountain ecosystems are fragile, mountainous regions can contribute their experiences and best practices on biodiversity conservation, circular economy, food loss and waste and agrifood systems transformation to many landlocked countries and areas with limited arable land.

The Director-General and Minister indicated that FAO and Andorra are committed to continuing their close cooperation.