43rd Session of the FAO Conference - Item 6: Appointment of the Director-General - Acceptance Speech

Dear Madame Chair,

Dear Vice Chairpersons,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you all for the right time to make a right decision.

It is beyond my surprise and happiness. I calculated, I am a transparent person always, I just gambled with my Chinese colleagues. I said maybe 150 votes in favour and at least 10 votes against me, but I really hope that the one against me, if you are willing to, I want to discuss why you are against me.

I just want to figure out if there is something wrong that offended you. It is a way in Chinese culture, we call it “Every day we have to learn asking yourself three times, is it something wrong?” “吾一日三省。” It is difficult for the young Chinese to translate a classical poem.

Furthermore, I just checked ChatGPT, and found out there is no other important event happening today in the history since Tang Dynasty, and as what you did today. Therefore, you should be proud of yourselves to have made a historical event for the future.

Food availability, food accessibility, food affordability are essential for the people in the world. As a Chinese proverb said, “民以食为天, 国以民为本。”. I will translate it for you. Do not worry. Food is a top priority to the people, for the people, and the countries are based on the people. You and your Governments are game changers.

FAO Director-General with my teams and colleagues are committed to be your facilitator and promoter. I have been thankful to my humble family now, the noble ancestors and family since 2 800 years ago from the Chu Kingdom.

I have been proud of my original nation with a great civilization and bright future after implementing 45 years of opening-up policies and the reform. I am very much appreciative that I was born in the family of hardship, smallholder farmers to grow rice, with less than 0.9 hectares. I grew up most of the times with my grandmother because I was the second son, there was an older son. Therefore, I am the only FAO Director-General from smallholder farmers. I am proud of that hardship. It taught me how to change.

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Of course, I am happy to grow up in a greater time. I am so fortunate. Many years ago, I travelled to South America, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Mexico. I said, “Your life standard was much higher than in China”. They could not believe it. And then 20 years ago I travelled some of Africa, and I said, “Your life standard is higher than Chinese farmers.” They could not believe it. So I am so fortunate to have a chance to offer my lifelong experience for the smallholder farmers and family farmers for the world.

That is why I can tell you this morning at 2:30 AM I was still cleaning the document sent by my Director of Cabinet and the Chief Economist. Only for three days I remember I did not wake up at midnight. But I am fortunate, I can sleep after working two hours. However, my Director of Cabinet and the Chief Economist, they could not. Therefore, you see, I am still full of energy. I am older than they are, and that is why I said ‘young at heart’ is very important. You cannot change your age, but you can change your psychological age, physical age and social age, if you do more for the society, for the people.

Four years ago, I came to FAO to change it to be dynamic with my manifesto. I kept my promise and realized that no matter how difficult it has been during the past months, years, with all the support from you, from partners, from my colleagues.

You can see I also changed the FAO culture – three Deputy Director-Generals (DDGs), from the previous administration, and I remain them, no matter that they are from Europe, Africa, or America, even Dan Gustafson, I still invite him to be my special representative.

So being consistent with the institutional memory, knowledge and experience are very important, otherwise they just get the whole life experience at 60 plus, and then they left. Imagine, you invest so much money and you let them make many big or small mistakes. You did not harvest them.

I thank you for your tolerance, your permission. I remain them to work for you, for the people who need this high quality experience, and being the Principle of the Organization, the human resources management is number one. Otherwise, I could not do everything on my own. I count on them, I trust them and sometimes I push them. Even the flowers in front of the gate, and each step, I always come and Mr Laurent Thomas, at the beginning he could not get used to it, because normally the Director-General considers himself a big potato.

But I am a small potato. I learned from the Canadian DDG for Research at an International Potato Center for the first time. I said, “I am a small potato”, and he said, “You are not a small potato” and I said, “I am a small potato” and he said, “No, no, small potato has another meaning”.

Now, with my new manifesto, I will be devoted to modernizing the Organization from Headquarters to the country branches. Together we will be more deliverable, more accountable and more impactful under FAO’s Basic Texts, Constitution, and Rules and, of course, FAO mandate. With your continued strong support, empowerment of youth and women will be a systematic solution. I am fully committed to zero tolerance to any misconduct.

I was the Vice-President of CAAS responsible for discipline and investigation 20 years ago. You can see, any misconduct I always ask the relevant office to look at and investigate first. So far, I did not touch any cases, because I know to let them do their job. They get paid by you, let them be functional for us, for accountability, transparency and reputation protection. In FAO, we need trust based on the reputation and accountability.

FAO will be a service provider with more knowledge hubs and professional products.

Let humanity help to light each dark corner, let passion pass through everyone among us, let solidarity be solid together, individually united.

A noble Organization needs a noble spirit for a noble mission.

FAO is your Organization, it is our Organization, let us make it proud and fit for purpose.

I stop talking here now. Let us walk the talk to take actions on FAO Strategies and the Four Betters. 

Let us unite to build a better world with more people centric, a much healthier planet, and more prosperity.

You can count on me and my teams. I will count down the clock to run for my commitment.

多谢（Duōxiè）, Thank you, Merci, Grazie and Spasiba, .

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