43rd Session of the FAO Conference - Item 6: Appointment of the Director-General - Candidate Address

Dear Madame Chair,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honour to stand before you now and present to you in this Ministerial Conference my next manifesto because my manifesto is very long and I could not finish here within 15 minutes, but I will just go through it and then deliver it on the web afterwards.

From vision to action building a modern FAO and during the past four years a One FAO with new Strategic Framework, for the next ten years seek to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, better environment, a better life, leaving no one behind, endorsed by the last FAO Ministerial Conference.

My sincere appreciation to all the FAO members, to all FAO employees and all partners. We tackled the challenges together during the past four years.

Now the new vision, new structure and new initiative have helped us speed up, scale up to build a new FAO. You see, we have endorsed the three thematic strategies, on private sector engagement, science and innovation, climate change and mainstreaming biodiversity across agri-food sectors.

A number of initiatives have been launched, so now we need the outcome with the action plan and more deliverable and tangible results. We have walked the talk in communication and outreached to make FAO historically visible forever, and much highest in the history. I introduce the Oversight Advisory Committee (OAC) to help us to look in a holistic way and adopt a zero tolerance policy for all misconducts.

A new Office of Ombuds, an Ethics Office established, and also we strengthened the capacity of Office of Inspector General (OIG) and let them work capably and independently. Now a flat, modular and flexible structure for the Organization established, especially a Core Leadership, three Deputy Directors-General (DDGs), two Chiefs plus the Director of Cabinet. It is a new and innovative way within the UN system and we established three new offices, one for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDC) and one Office of Innovation (OIN). That is the first in history and first in the UN system.

We strengthened existing offices – Office of Strategy, Programme and Budget (OSP), the Office of Evaluation (OED), the Fish and Aquaculture Division and the Land and Water Division, and the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) and the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER). The FAO Investment Centre established, jointly with the World Bank and now we have reformed it to fit the purpose. Then we upgraded the joint FAO/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Centre.

We have achieved extraordinary achievements especially FAO’s flagship Hand-In-Hand Initiative has now become one of the top six initiatives in the UN system. We will promote it among the whole UN system at the next UN Food System Stocktaking meeting here. Now 65 Members identified voluntarily will participate in this meeting and we have helped them to establish comprehensive investment plans and others.

Of course, we have addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and we established the Crisis Management Team (CMT) for the corporate coordination and ensure FAO continues to operate efficiently, effectively and agilely, and of course FAO was the first UN Agency, to host the virtual meeting globally, and in all six UN languages in April 2020.

The World Food Forum (WFF) established with three pillars to promote the global agri-food system transformation.

The FAO “1000 Digital Villagers” Initiative (DVI) was established.

Now FAO is fully operated paperless as a digital FAO. You can get all the news, information, updated programmes through the Digital FAO.

One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) has become the new branding initiative for the countries and the Green Cities Initiative now has started to integrate with the Green Economy and urban food security.

All the data based information and products to support the transformation of agricultural systems in the world.

In addition, you see the first virtual meeting in the UN system and we participated actively in all the important events and of course resources mobilized is now at an historical high. We have increased 51 percent. I promised 10 percent annually and in only one year, we increased to 51 percent. I appreciate all the big donors and especially we changed business model to strengthen the cooperation with international financial institutions and also the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and others. That helps us.

Now the new people-centred culture has been established, you can see, with the principles of respect, understanding, inclusiveness and appreciation.

The gender parity, we are one of the best in the UN system after the evaluation, and all the recruitments are openly announced and then through the panel review before reaching me with the shortlist.

Also, not only from the Headquarters, also to the field. I visited, together with my colleagues, about 400 000 kilometres during the past one and a half years. You can see we have not stopped working.

Women and youth will always be my priority, so FAO Women’s Committee, FAO Youth Committee are two first things in the UN system. We are going to strengthen this aspect. We count on their support, especially as they played a particularly important role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We made many firsts in the FAO history: Town Hall meetings, Employee Recognition Awards. 400 young, 400 young-at-heart and about 50 Best Teams.

Based on four years’ experience, I have ten points, which I want to share. However, the key words are ownership, trust, rule-based approach, professionalism and recruit the global talents openly and merit-based, One FAO culture and others.

Of course, I got spiritual support, not only from the resources of the Donors, but also from the Holy Father and other senior staff and also the UN system and all the key partners. You can see that for all the important Members and the important platforms, I tried my best to participate and, of course, we have built very close relations with the host country, at Headquarters here, and with all those who host us in the country offices.

Of course, looking ahead, we still have a big job needed to be done more and better, and the figures by 2030 probably have 670 million people would be still in hunger. That is not acceptable. Of course, the challenge is mainly focused on sustainability, climate change and also water, food loss and waste, others, but from the crop to the biodiversity.

We have key transformation drivers, Digitalization, Urbanization, Industrialization and Carbon Neutralization. That is above all of the agri-food systems transformation and rural development.

Urbanization: In 2019, it is only 56 percent and in 2050, it will be 70 percent. That means 2.4 billion to 2.8 billion will move from the countryside to the city. That is a big scenario. We need more food, better food, more diverse food and quality control. That is the future. A big challenge, especially from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Industrialization: you speed up in the new emerging economies and that will change the food availability and food accessibility.

Digitalization: So, speed up quickly and now LDCs and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are still left behind.

Carbon Neutralization: we have many bubbles, especially red bubbles. That is most closely linked with agri-food systems and we need to look at this holistically.

Agri-food Systems had been transforming for decades. Now it is time to speed up and scale up together with all the holistic ways in different sectors.

Projections for the future based on the population increase, that we have produced more plant products with less.

Different regions have different perspectives. You can read it afterwards. I will put it online.

We have several recommendations for you to consider because you are Ministers, so to look at the global scenarios.

Of course, the fisheries and aquaculture. That is why I changed the name of the division. Not only fisheries but also aquaculture. You can see that by 2050 we will share about 60 percent of the fish consumption. That is our future. That is why I strongly encourage you to learn from the leading region, Asia Pacific, which shares about 95 percent of aquaculture production. The rest of the regions still have a big potential.

We need sustainable growth and effective management.

For animal proteins, also we need it more, at least a 20 percent increase, mainly coming from Asia, America and Africa.

I have several recommendations and solutions for producing more with less. Less impact on environment, less input. That is the way of producing Carbon Neutrality.

The five action plans I have discussed with my colleagues already. The next few years we will speed up the action on the ground, in not only the Headquarter or regional offices.

I welcome you to the first ever FAO-hosted Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation. Yesterday I had a very good discussion with the European Agriculture Commissioner. He recommended it as the first area to strengthen collaboration. So, make use of this.

Also, this time the Ministerial Conference will focus on water, water resource management, for the Four Betters. You can see this morning we invited the most comprehensive politician from Singapore to come with experience, to share it and jump out of the box for his delivering the traditional McDougall Memorial Lecture. You can see that flooding has hit about 30 percent of the population of the world for many years. About 600 million people annually are at flooding risk.

We have several recommendations for the next week to discuss and there we need more Crop Water Requirements, at least based on two scenarios: 35 percent to 24 percent, depending on the different business model. Of course, we need to have some more irrigated areas.

Then, we need Integrated Land, Soil and Water Resources Management. That is the backbone pillars of a professional FAO since we started.

Land-based contributions to the decarbonisation of three ecosystems. This morning we had the discussion on forestry, the wetlands, and the dry land. Those are three situations.

We have to work together more to strengthen our Agroforestry. That is also to bringing the short-term economic return and improve livelihoods. And not only forestry. We need both.

And to integrate forestry to the key climate actions. We strengthened collaboration since COP25, COP26, and now COP28 together.

Speed up the transformation of the agri-food system for the Four Betters, Leaving no one behind. We need more best practices from Members.

With One FAO, we can provide a professional service, learning among the Members. Build a world-class modern Organization and we already said the Four Betters and the 20 Programme Priority Areas (PPAs), and identified Value-Added Impact Areas (VAIAs) we are working on with more focus.

We have the five key dimensions for the next four years: to increase resource mobilization, that is why we need to strongly encourage you to help me to get a little bit more increase of the budget. Accelerate technology. We are going to establish an agriculture museum together with others.

We want to strengthen the Rome-based Agencies (RBAs) collaboration. Luckily, now I appreciate the new Executive-Director (ED) from the United States, Ms Cindy McCain, and the new President of IFAD from Spain. Now we really have a close coordination at Headquarters and we want to work together at the country level together. After this conference later in July, we will work together also for the field trip, with other UN Agencies as well.

We have five critical entry points. I do not want to repeat it here because that is not new for you because two months ago I already delivered.

Of course, I appreciate that we need more strong and adequate support from the host country, of the Headquarters, and other host countries in the Members and offices and so on.

FAO is your FAO. I am fortunate to be the FAO DG to offer the service for you. I always encourage my colleagues we are not bureaucrats, we are not officials, even if I was a Vice Minister, but we should be a service provider. Remember four years ago! I said, “I walk the talk.”

Thank you very much, shukran, 多谢（duō xiè）, merci, spasiba, gracias, grazie mille.

Then I want to use the last two minutes to show you how beautiful, even when you face a challenge, with my mobile phone photos. I know you come here, you do not have time to enjoy that special moment of taking photos, but with my lockdown time, I made a lot. However, I select only a few because I collected more than 10 000.

I present first the screenshot to the Office of Communication (OCC). I was a professor. I know how to handle those things. First the virtual meeting with the G20 Summit. I made the screenshot photo for them because you can see I arrived July 28, 9:28 PM hours in Rome. I know some of you; maybe you do not see that.

That is my first dinner with my wife. I changed from Minister Level to the FAO humble service people. So simple. However, a very typical Italian dinner, lemon, and I promote Italy with the five Fs – food, football, fashion, friendly people, and famous relics.

Famous relics because it was number one. Equally now I share with China but the Italians also FAMA. So, the five Fs. I remember Italy with good memories each time.

That is the first Minister who came to my office. That is the old terrace. That is the first week of August in 2019 and 12 August I said hello to all the Muslim brothers and sisters for Eid Mubarak. That is the old cafeteria.

I really admire my colleagues that can deliver with just a simple cafeteria so many years. However, during past two days, again, we come to Eid Mubarak. I really thank all the Muslim brothers and sisters that you escape your holiday to come for this Conference. I really thank you.

In addition, you can see, that is also just before the sunset. At 21:30 hours tonight you can see the most beautiful sunset in Rome. Have you seen the UN Headquarters like this? And the ocean. I met the Honourable John Kerry together that time in Norway. Moreover, UN Headquarters in Geneva. Fortunately, I am from the East. You are fortunate to see the Buddha Aperture in the aeroplane. I had two times to see that. If you see it one time in one life, it is lucky enough but I had two times to see. I want to share with all of you to see this picture. It is bringing luck to you. Believe it.

Then here is a good place to watch the rainbows because it is peninsulas of the Mediterranean. And Italian people are very innovative.

That is one of my life-long hobbies, to make photos and calligraphy.

And more with sunsets and also sunrises.

That is Villa Pamphili.

So, I invited all your Ministers to come in October, and your leaders, we will establish an FAO forest park with my colleagues from Italy. For the first time we will have an FAO forest park in Villa Pamphili. Walk the talk. Sustainability, green carbon issues, start to plant trees and flowers, ornamental plants. So, you will make your history when you plant trees or flowers in Rome. 2 000 years later, like myself, that is my first poem when I arrived here.

Also, do not forget the history.  The new deal for 3R, that time President Franklin Roosevelt chaired the first United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture to propose the establishment of FAO by 44 Members. Unfortunately, he died on 12 April 1945. Later the Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson, he took the responsibility to prepare the FAO under the UN System on 16 October in Ottawa. That is why Ottawa is formally the place to establish FAO.  I will introduce four – Recovery, Reform, Rebuilding and Renaissance. We need a renaissance of a new Organization.

And that is my ancestor, Qu Yuan. A lot of people from Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia know that. 2 300 years ago he wrote a famous poem.

      Continues in Chinese

路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索

(The road ahead will be long and our climbing will be steep)。

       Continues in English

That is our mission. The road ahead will be long and our climbing will be steep. Let us go together and climb it together to end the poverty and the hunger.

Thank you very much.