Readout of the bilateral meeting with H.E. Franklin Danilo Palacios Márquez, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador

Georgetown, Guyana -The FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with H.E. Danilo Palacios, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador on the sidelines of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38) in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Director-General welcomed the Minister, recalling the successful organization of the Regional Ministerial Conference in Quito (LARC37) in 2022, as well as their recent meeting on the sidelines of the World Banana Forum held at FAO headquarters in Rome. 

The Minister highlighted the importance of the agrifood system and the role of FAO in supporting productive innovation and inclusive rural development, agriculture digitalization andsustainable ecosystems management, and reiterated the commitment of Ecuador to strengthen collaboration with FAO. 

The Minister also emphasized the impact of malnutrition in his country; in this context, his government would like to develop the potential of young people, rural women, and Indigenous Peoples in agriculture, especially cocoa and coffee.

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 agrifood systems.

The FAO Director-General and the Minister agreed to continue their cooperation and reiterated their collective will to strengthen the partnership between the Organization and to join forces and work together towards common objectives