Director-General wraps up Joint Meeting of FAO Programme and Finance Committees

Rome – Director-General QU Dongyu today thanked Members of FAO’s Programme and Finance Committees for supporting key initiatives implemented by the Organization. These include broad thematic priorities such as water, food loss and waste and the use of cash vouchers as well as scaling up ongoing programmes such as South-South and Triangular Cooperation to help countries transform their agrifood systems.

Speaking at the end of the 138th Session of the Programme Committee and the 199th Session of the Finance Committee, FAO governing bodies that provide recommendations to the FAO Council, Qu also hailed pledges of increased funding as “an ongoing and strong expression of confidence and trust in FAO.”

He highlighted, for instance, that FAO is seeking additional resources to boost its technical and statistical capacity for improved policy and technical advice to countries and for better measurement of Food Loss and Waste, a pressing challenge.

The Joint Committee of the Programme and Finance Committees also reaffirmed the need for adequate financial resources to enable FAO to continue its focus on biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural sectors, he said.

FAO’s Science, Technology and Innovation Portal has a critical role in advancing scientific and technological innovation that underpins work in a number of related areas. The Director-General noted he agreed with Members’ call for “for even stronger partnerships if we want to make significant progress for the benefit of all.”

“Let us continue to focus on the mandate of FAO and, together, deliver the best service we can to the farmers and consumers of the world who rely on our technical expertise and guidance,” he concluded.

The Director-General also noted that during the week he had gone to Slovenia to participate in the first-ever International Forum for Action on Sustainable Beekeeping and Pollination, helped mark World Tea Day and International Day for Biological Diversity, and visited San Marino to praise the country’s steadfast attention to agricultural and environmental issues.