Bilateral meeting with H. E. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe

Rome - Today the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met at FAO headquarters in Rome with H. E. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of The Republic of Zimbabwe. The meeting took place on the margins of the Italy-Africa Summit held in Rome, Italy.

The Director-General welcomed and thanked the President for the longstanding and unwavering support that Zimbabwe has extended to FAO over many years., as well as for the support for his re-election for a second term.

The Director-General congratulated Zimbabwe for being on the right track for food security and assured the President of FAO’s commitment to continue strengthening the long-lasting partnership. He further emphasized the importance and need for partnerships, including with the private sector, for agrifood systems transformation, improved food security and increasing resilience to climate change.

The President congratulated the Director-General on this reelection and conveyed his appreciation for the long and fruitful engagement between Zimbabwe and FAO. He stated that Zimbabwe places great value on partnerships to improve agriculture and promote food security and acknowledged the need for and importance of proactive development of partnerships with the private sector. The President also congratulated FAO’s efforts in mitigating the COVID-19 effects and shocks.

The President stated that Zimbabwe looks forward to increased collaboration on resilience efforts as it works towards climate proof agriculture and improved food security, moving away from dependence on natural rain for food security. He stated that Zimbabwe is now wheat secure due to a more developed agricultural model. He emphasized the need for smart agricultural programs and digital marketing accessibility in rural arears.

The President thanked the Director-General for facilitating Zimbabwe to be among the first top three countries to benefit from the Hand-in-Hand (HiH) Initiative.

The Director-General reiterated his commitment to ensuring that FAO supports increased deliverables in developing countries through policy guidance. He also emphasized the importance of other FAO flagship initiatives such as the One Country One Product (OCOP) to build international competitiveness.