Readout of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Al Sayed Mohammed Marzouk El-Qusair, Minister for Agriculture and Land Reclamation of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today met Al Sayed Mohammed Marzouk El-Qusair, Minister for Agriculture and Land Reclamation of the Arab Republic of Egypt. During the meeting the parties  signed a Letter of Intent to work together to finalize agreements to develop a multi-stakeholder partnership supporting the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) initiative, and acting as an accelerator to transform agrifood systems to deliver triple wins for people, for climate and for nature, and in support of achieving SDG2 (Zero Hunger).

The Director-General appreciated the importance that the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt provides to the transformation of the country’s agrifood system, referring to the long-standing partnership between FAO and Egypt.

The Minister provided an overview of the recent government programmes and initiatives to support the agriculture sector in Egypt, with a special focus on agriculture-based employment and income generation for the rural poor.  

The Minister also referred to the ongoing preparations for the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP27), which will take place in Egypt next month, emphasizing the importance that the Egyptian Presidency of COP27 provides to the global agrifood systems agenda, including food, nutrition, water and agricultural issues.

The Director-General and the Minister agreed that COP27 provides a pivotal moment for the agrifood agenda, which highlights and encourages future innovation for climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural practices.

The two parties agreed to work together to promote South-South Cooperation, especially in African countries, and renewed their commitment to enhancing cooperation to address priority issues such as water scarcity.