Readout of the bilateral meeting with Dr Carla Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

Georgetown, Guyana - The FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with Dr Carla Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on the sidelines of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38) in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Director-General highlighted the FAO dedicated office for SIDS and the Organization’s commitment to small islands and other developing countries; he also informed on the establishment of the new FAO Office for Youth and Women, and the need to strengthen cooperation between the CARICOM region and FAO.

The CARICOM Secretary-General stressed the importance of prioritizing the region and continuing to work together to ensure food and nutrition for the people. She highlighted that the region faces a common challenge of food importation, food waste, and the gap of inequality.

The Secretary-General also pointed out that despite the beauty and magnificence of the islands, they are confronted by problems related to salinization, hurricanes, lower GDP, deforestation, and a trade deficit.

The Director-General proposed enhanced collaboration with FAO, standardizing quality, focusing on a single commodity as a pilot project, changing the business model, and continuing the dialogue to improve trade within the region.

The pair further exchanged views on the importance of enhancing production and productivity through technical support and innovations to increase value and achieve the transformation of global agrifood systems.