Readout of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Addis Ababa – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on 18 February, on the sidelines of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union being held in the Ethiopian capital.

Underscoring FAO’s decades-long relationship with Ethiopia and its current status as a member of the FAO Council, the President expressed appreciation for the essential role FAO plays in supporting the agriculture sector in her country, including through the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, in particular in the context of the importance of teff in the lives of Ethiopians in the country and beyond.

The President noted how Ethiopia’s wheat production has continued to grow in spite of the many challenges the country has faced. She referred to the recent internal conflict in Ethiopia and how it has impacted on its farmers and their children the most, and that agriculture is key to economic development and stability. Also in this context, she committed to follow closely FAO’s efforts aimed at women and youth empowerment.

For his part, the FAO Director-General praised Ethiopia’s achievements in wheat production and export despite the impact of multiple and overlapping crises over the last three years, and he highlighted FAO’s support to the country for the transformation of its agrifood system, innovation, as well as in locust control.

Qu encouraged Ethiopia to share its best practices with other countries in Africa, and in other regions of the world. He also recommended that, in time, the country consider expanding its OCOP initiative to include coffee. 

Reaffirming FAO’s commitment to continue providing support to Ethiopia, the Director-General recommended two main actions where FAO could support Ethiopia: Improving irrigation and new wheat varieties, and through the Green Cities Initiative which can contribute to the country’s Green Legacy Initiative.

Qu referred to the FAO Strategic Framework and the three new strategies for engagement with the private sector, science and innovation and climate change, which will shape the work of the Organization in the years to come. The Director-General noted that FAO is hosting the Coordination Hub to follow up on the actions emanating from the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, and informed of the Stocktaking event planned for 24-26 July 2023 in Rome to monitor progress on national implantation, and encouraged Ethiopia to be a part of the event as it has a lot to share.