Joint Meeting of the 137th Session of the Program Committee and the 198th Session of the Finance Committee Opening Statement
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
06/11/2023
Joint Meeting of the 137th Session of the Program Committee and the 198th Session of the Finance Committee
Opening Statement
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
6 November 2023
Chair of the Programme Committee,
Chair of the Finance Committee,
Members of the Programme and Finance Committees,
Dear Colleagues,
Good morning.
I wish to start by expressing my heartfelt sadness at the loss of lives in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, and in other protracted crises around the world.
Peace is a prerequisite for food security, and the Right to Food is a basic human right.
FAO continues to assist the most vulnerable, globally, to meet their food security needs, in line with FAO’s mandate.
In the face of escalating global challenges: food availability, food accessibility and food affordability; the climate crisis; biodiversity loss; economic downturns; worsening poverty; and other overlapping challenges, we find ourselves standing at a critical juncture.
There is increased international consensus that transforming agrifood systems to increase their efficiency, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability is essential to a comprehensive design for realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This year’s State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) report sets out the real impacts, both positive and negative, of global agrifood systems for informed decision-making in support of the SDGs, and of FAO's vision to transform agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Similarly, this year we launch our new flagship on the Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2023, which provides a timely and comprehensive overview of how disasters are affecting agriculture and food security around the world.
FAO continues to be a global leader and point of reference in providing timely and professional information on global agrifood systems.
Examples include the monthly FAO Food Price Index, Cereals Supply and Demand Brief and the AMIS Market Monitor, among others.
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 120.6 points in October 2023, down 0.7 points (0.5%) from September, continuing the downward trend since June and standing 14.8 points (10.9%) below its corresponding value a year ago.
This shows that food availability is improving, but a total of 46 countries around the world still need external assistance for food, according to the latest FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
These reports are complemented with FAO’s policy briefs, information notes, and the hunger hotspots report on the impacts of ongoing conflicts and other challenges on global food security, which provide early warning and facilitate anticipatory action to the benefit of the most vulnerable populations.
Dear Colleagues,
Since the FAO Ministerial Conference in July, FAO has hosted several key international events and participated in a number of multilateral meetings, as it continues to be a world player on the international related agenda.
On 10 July, addressing a high-level United Nations Townhall Meeting held in New York during the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2023 on Sustainable Development, under the theme "Overcoming the crises, driving transformation for the SDGs, and leaving no one behind,” I outlined six actions needed to transform agrifood systems ahead of the 2023 SDG Summit in September.
The UNFSS+2 Stocktaking Moment under the leadership of UNSG and Italian Government, along with 24 Heads of State and more than 120 ministerial participants in person came to FAO HQ in late July, built momentum for implementation of national food system transformation pathways and brought together all partners to report on progress and commit to address bottlenecks through bolder action.
From 29 July to 2 August, I had initiated a joint visit to South Sudan, together with the President of IFAD and the Executive Director of WFP. The visit highlighted our joint work and solidarity to support South Sudan moving from a humanitarian approach to a focus on development. We also signed a new and much stronger MOU to guide our important work together.
In the first week of September, I travelled to Samarkand to participate in the International Conference on Food Security, organized by the Government of Uzbekistan with technical support from FAO. More than twenty ministerial delegates from Asia, Africa, Europe, and others, attended.
I also participated in the First Uzbekistan Agrifood Investment Forum where world leaders discussed concrete actions to create an enabling environment for unlocking both public and private investments and repurposing agricultural subsidies to meet the USD 4 trillion cost for transforming agrifood systems by the deadline of 2030.
After Samarkand, before UNGA, I travelled to Brazil where I had several intensive discussions with relevant ministers and signed a Letter of Intent with the Brazilian Government to establish a Center for Trilateral South-South Cooperation in Brazil.
From Brazil I went to Cuba where I attended the “G77 + China” Summit chaired by President of Cuba with over 60 Heads of State and the UNSG under the general debate “Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation” for agrifood system transformation.
In late September, FAO hosted two historical global conferences and a small exhibition as a good example of the coherence of the business model change. The first ever FAO Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, which will lead to the establishment of the Sustainable Livestock Transformation Digital Platform and continue supporting Members through the Sustainable Livestock Transformation Initiative.
And, in the very same week, we hosted the first-ever Global Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization with an impressive exhibition that showcased the important role that mechanization plays to transform agrifood systems, and the Call-to-Action outcome document will concretely guide next steps as a global knowledge product.
In October, FAO convened the Global Symposium on Soils and Water, together with the 2nd Rome Water Dialogue. The meetings provided a global platform to exchange knowledge, practices and solutions underlying the need to invest in effective and inclusive governance, data, and technologies for integrated management of soil and water, especially after the UN Water Conference in late March.
FAO will also continue supporting Members in developing their National Water Roadmaps, and progress is ongoing in the implementation of the Blue Transformation Initiative. FAO continues to support the integration of the aquatic food sector into national processes, as well as at the multilateral level.
Dear Colleagues,
This year’s World Food Forum highlighted an impactful new level: the importance of actively engaging youth in global processes; the vital role of partnerships, collaboration, and solidarity; the importance of bringing all partners from across the spectrum together to take concrete actions; and the need to leverage the power of science and innovation, and investments, for the transformation of global agrifood systems.
During the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum - one of the three segments of the Forum together with the Global Youth Forum and the Science and Innovation Forum - a total of 111 prioritized investments, designed to benefit over 149 million beneficiaries were unveiled, with around USD 16 billion in agrifood investment opportunities showcased.
In addition, the two regional Initiatives on the Sahel and the Dry Corridor were presented, representing a total investment of USD 2.48 billion and USD 311 million respectively.
Focusing on the theme “Agrifood systems transformation accelerates climate action”, we brought together more than 6 000 in-person participants to FAO, with over 65 000 visits online during the flagship week, and reaching more than 2.7 billion social media accounts worldwide.
It was a truly global movement with attendees from 186 Members.
The Global Youth Forum highlighted the crucial role of young people in global decision-making processes, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity and climate action.
The Forum witnessed the passion, dedication, and commitment of the younger generation toward building a better future, as evidenced in events dedicated to climate action, leadership, and culture.
Throughout the week, hundreds of youths from around the world were brought together, enabling them to define global and regional youth priorities through the Youth Assembly.
The latter was also attended by a strong delegation of young farmers that discussed challenges and solutions to the issues facing our agrifood systems, particularly for young family farmers.
Additionally, the Forum awarded over USD 200 000 in grants and prizes to young innovators, brought together 12 World Food Forum National Chapters, and engaged more than 1 000 schoolchildren in agrifood systems education.
At the same time of the World Food Forum, we also hosted the biennial UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum, acknowledging the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers in agrifood systems.
The Forum united more than 200 Indigenous Youth in person and hundreds more online, representing the 7 sociocultural regions of the world, 98 Indigenous Peoples’ groups and 51 countries.
The Science and Innovation Forum explored innovative solutions for advancing climate action and sustainability in agrifood systems. This included making climate technologies, innovative practices, and traditional knowledge accessible and affordable, discussing cutting-edge research, and addressing resilience, loss and damage, and soil and water management.
Immediately after the World Food Forum, I travelled to the United States where I delivered a keynote address at the 2023 Dr Norman Borlaug World Food Prize event.
During the visit, I also met with the Presidents of Mississippi State University and the Iowa State University of Science and Technology to strengthen collaboration on food and agriculture through science, technology, and innovation.
Dear Colleagues,
FAO is continuing its efforts in supporting Members for the successful implementation of the FAO Strategy on Climate Change, and its Action Plan 2022-2025, in synergy with the FAO Science and Innovation Strategy and Action Plan, as well as the other thematic strategies.
FAO will continue to play a facilitating role, in line with national arrangements and priorities, to build synergies. In this regard, the FAO Country Offices are key for implementation on the ground, and through national ministries and partners.
At the UN and global level, we need to work through fora such as the G7, G20 and the COPs, among many others, to ensure synergies at the international level reinforced through a collective political will, to ensure that strategies lead to concrete outcomes for farmers and consumers.
FAO has made significant progress concerning the enhancement of climate finance for the transformation of agrifood systems.
A testimony of this, is the very recent renewal of the accreditation of FAO by the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
This re-accreditation reaffirms FAO's focus on advancing climate action through agrifood systems transformation and supporting countries in addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
This year, the FAO-GCF portfolio has increased by USD 145 million.
In addition, since the launch of the Global Environment Facility GEF-8 cycle, FAO has secured USD 183 million in grants and USD 1.28 billion in co-funding, approved in June 2023.
A second package of 54 projects reaching USD 350 million with a co-financing of USD 2.5 billion was submitted to GEF Secretariat for possible approval by GEF Council at their February 2024 meeting.
FAO has been working in preparation for COP28 in the United Arab Emirates by, among others, providing technical support to the outgoing and incoming presidencies to facilitate continuation of the initiatives and commitments on the Agriculture and Food Systems Agenda; and through major outreach on agrifood systems solutions to climate change, biodiversity, and food security.
At COP28, we concretely expect to see the Sharm El Sheikh Joint Work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security become operational.
And to move the negotiations forward to COP28, on this vital joint work, FAO supported and hosted the First Informal Expert dialogue, from 31 October to 2 November this year.
The dialogue was key to facilitate mutual understanding and trust-building among country agriculture negotiation experts from around the world, to lay the groundwork for the next decisive step to define a concrete work plan and clear deliverables that will be brought to COP28. I had the chance to exchange with these dynamic and committed negotiators.
We also anticipate a tangible outcome that will take loss and damage financing forward, and FAO will also publish it first report on what loss and damage means to agrifood systems to guide financing. The Expert dialogue with Climate Agriculture negotiators was organized in FAO from 31 October to 2 November.
We expect the first Global Stock Take to show that only system transformations, including agrifood systems, can put us back on track to achieving the Paris Agreement. In line with the FAO Strategy on Climate Change, FAO will effectively use its technical capacity to turn the relevant COP declarations and initiatives into roadmaps and investments for agrifood system solutions to the climate crisis.
FAO will be launching the roadmap to SDG2, and 1.5 degrees Celsius, whose core goal is to achieve SDG2 (Zero Hunger), while being climate friendly, as to attract climate financing for mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and the actions required to support the achievement of 1.5 degrees (by 2050) based on country commitment, consensus and country transition.
The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative launched by the US Department of State in partnership with FAO and the African Union in January 2023 aims to boost agricultural productivity and nutrition by developing diverse, climate-resilient crop varieties and by building healthy soils.
The initiative has the potential to address multiple global and national priorities, including implementation of the FAO Strategy on Climate Change, and FAO’s work in food security and nutrition, thereby reflecting efforts across the Four Betters set out in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31.
FAO’s direct engagement in VACS also offers Members a way of strengthening agrifood systems transformation towards the achievement of several SDGs.
FAO’s flagship Hand in Hand Initiative continues to grow with 67 member countries now signed up.
I am pleased to report that we have over USD 1.34 billion in commitments thus far, and bilateral negotiations with FAO technical supports are ongoing to further increase this amount.
The Hand-in-Hand Initiative invests heavily in developing country human capital development, with over 1600 people already trained in new and innovative skills, including the Geospatial Platform.
The transformation of agrifood systems is a multifaceted challenge involving not only agriculture but also environment, infrastructure, trade, R&D, gender, education, and health, among others.
Addressing this challenge effectively requires partnerships for sustainable development. FAO, as part of the UN Development system (UNDS), has played a crucial role by leveraging the repositioning of the UNDS to emphasize agrifood systems transformation through innovative partnerships.
I’m pleased to report on positive progress with the implementation of the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, with tangible results clearly visible in over 80 countries from all five FAO Regions who have submitted over 50 Special Agricultural Products.
Total funding has reached USD 6.5 million, which is supporting the engagement of over 40 countries across all regions. An additional USD 5 million has been pledged by the Chinese Government that will be a significant support to beneficiary countries.
OCOP will further promote synergies with FAO global programs and initiatives, especially the Hand-in-Hand, 1000 Digital Villages and South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
After three years, the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control has shown concrete results at global, regional, national and farmer field levels. The Global Action has successfully led to a decrease in crop losses by 5 to 10 percent, while addressing the risk of further spread and infestation.
Integrating the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus in FAO’s work continues to be a priority and this week you will consider the recommendations arising from the Evaluation of FAO’s role and work on this Nexus, which confirm the importance of this approach in FAO’s work and how the Organization continues to build on progress made in several countries and sectors.
Dear Colleagues,
The Program of Work and Budget 2024-25, along with its Adjustments that are before the Joint Meeting this week, continues my vision of building a dynamic and modern FAO for a better world, with an action-oriented focus in line with FAO’s core competencies and an improved business model.
The Program of Work and Budget 2024-25 aims to fully leverage FAO’s potential, advance innovation-driven transformation, and strengthen FAO’s capacity and capability to serve its Members.
Going forward into the next biennium:
As regards the climate crisis, FAO's response will include implementing integrated land restoration and water management solutions, and prioritizing agroforestry systems that are adaptive and resilient.
In line with the shift toward a forward-looking business model that promotes science, technology and innovation, FAO will continue to strengthen the development and implementation of normative and standard-setting instruments for the transformation of agrifood systems.
Through the Value-Added Impact Areas under each of the Four Betters, FAO will ensure accelerated results, promotion of multidisciplinary collaboration across the Organization, with a particular focus on Country Offices, as well as Regional and Sub-regional offices, for implementation at local, national, and regional level.
The establishment of a new Office of Youth and Women will continue strengthening FAO’s capacity and coordination to better serve its Members through advocating for youth and women. The Office will help to coordinate both internally, supporting women and youth visibility, and externally, by gathering innovative ideas and approaches from youth and women, to support transformation of global agrifood systems under FAO’s mandate.
The Office of Innovation will continue to be strengthened by establishing more cutting-edges technology units and the transfer of the Farmer Field School team, one of FAO’s most successful mechanisms to foster innovation at grassroots and local levels.
Regarding South-South and Triangular Cooperation, FAO will focus on strengthening and expanding partnerships and strategic alliances through increased collaboration with a wide range of partners.
In the 2024-25 biennium, we will continue to strengthen partnerships, including through the establishment of regional knowledge hubs in partnership with relevant centers of excellence.
In line with the Call for Action launched at the High-Level Ministerial Event in June 2023, FAO will increase its support to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Land-locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) by building adaptive capacities and collectively responding to specific needs of vulnerable groups in those countries through resource mobilization, and by hosting a global collaboration network to accelerate agrifood systems transformation.
We will also strengthen the Organization’s focus on ethics and principles, by strengthening the Ethics Office to support further policy development and awareness raising activities.
The FAO work and budget programming cycle commences with the Regional Conferences in the first year of the biennium. The Regional Ministerial Conferences in 2024 will reflect a new forward-looking business model, taking ownership of action plans, integrating all initiatives to landing on the ground (All in One), promoting scien-tech and innovation, along with investment.
To speed-up and scale-up tangible and accountable results on the ground, I will convene, for the first time in FAO’s history, the FIRST GLOBAL WORKING CONFERENCE OF FAORs from 12 to 14 December in Rome to develop a concrete action plan to strengthen internal management, a coherent network, systematic capacities, and results oriented for the effective implementation of FAO’s programs, initiatives, and the thematic strategies.
During the next biennium, we will continue to focus on ensuring fit-for-purpose FAO Country Offices, and Regional and Sub-regional structures, to ensure improved country delivery and impact of FAO’s work in supporting countries in achieving the SDGs, and for landing the Four Betters at the country level and local communities, in synergy with FAO’s flagship initiatives and a focus on digitalization of agrifood systems and rural development.
Finally, we will strengthen programming and programmatic support, management and oversight, and support services under ONE FAO.
FAO will also continue to benefit from the guidance and recommendations of professional evaluation and oversight bodies to enhance its internal management and enable harmonious and efficient operations, as well as strengthened tools and processes for proactive risk management, control, and mitigation.
We look forward to the outcomes of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) consultations, Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) consultations, as well as the recommendations from the external auditors and the Oversight Advisory Committee (OAC).
Looking forward to 2025, the Program of Work and Budget 2024-25 and the Adjustments proposed aim to further improve the Organization’s global visibility and impact as FAO approaches its 80th anniversary in the UN family.
On 16 October 1945, FAO was established in Quebec, Canada, following two years of the Interim Commission, formed by President Roosevelt's United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture in Hot Springs, Virginia, on 19 May to 3 June 1943, which matured into the first United Nations Specialized Agency.
In 1945, the FAO Constitution set out the Organization’s vision: “a world free of hunger and malnutrition where food and agriculture contribute to improving the living standards of all, especially the poorest”.
To ensure that we continue to move forward towards achieving FAO’s mandate, while not forgetting the origins of our agrifood systems and traditional cultures, we will commemorate FAO’s 80th Anniversary with the establishment of a Global Food and Agriculture Museum and Network.
I have been promoting the Four Betters in the past four years to lead the global agrifood systems transformation. Since starting my second term as FAO Director-General, I have stressed the additional need to lead the FAO internal change by focusing on the “four R’s”: first is RECOVERY from the pandemic and broken facilities; REFORM of our systems and management to fit for purpose and mandate; REBUILD FAO’s network and comprehensive capacity; and a RENAISSANCE of FAO for a better future.
The Program of Work and Budget 2024-25, and the proposed Adjustments, supports the five key dimensions for the next four years I set out in my Manifesto for my second term of office:
- One: Further increasing resource mobilization and scaling-up both traditional and new partnerships;
- Two: Fully leveraging FAO’s potential and advancing innovation-driven transformation;
- Three: The World Food Forum will assist in promoting tailored investment plans of Hand-in-Hand countries to provide solid support for less developed countries;
- Four: Strengthening FAO’s capacity and capability to serve Members; and
- Five: Improving human resources development and attracting talents from all corners of the world.
I continue to believe that food and agriculture is critical for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and all the SDGs, and that agriculture provides the most inclusive solution to eradicate poverty and hunger and reduce inequalities for a better world.
Let us learn together, work together, and contribute together for humanity and happiness.
Thank you.