Sixth Informal Joint RBA Meeting of the FAO Council, IFAD Executive Board and the WFP Executive Board Opening Statement
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
30/11/2022
Sixth Informal Joint RBA Meeting of the FAO Council,
IFAD Executive Board and the WFP Executive Board
Opening Statement
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
30 November 2022
Chairpersons of the RBA Governing Bodies,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Colleagues,
1. This meeting is always a good platform for dialogue among the RBAs and our Members.
2. I wish to thank David Beasley for hosting it this year,
3. And I welcome IFAD President Alvaro Lario, who is participating for the first time since taking office.
4. Since our previous informal meeting in October 2021, the world continues to face growing challenges.
5. We have seen increases in the prices of food, feed, fertilizer and fuel.
6. All of which highlight the need for even better coordinated action.
7. During the FAO Joint Meeting of the Programme and Finance Committees earlier this month, Members:
• underlined the fundamental role of RBA collaboration to transform agrifood systems, and
• also stressed the importance of framing our collaboration within the context of the repositioning of the UN Development System.
8. The Joint Evaluation on RBA collaboration conducted last year provides a strategic direction for us going forward.
9. FAO values the outcome of this evaluation, and we are already working together with IFAD and WFP to address its recommendations.
Dear Colleagues,
10. It is very important to recognize the successes of our work together.
11. Further to the examples already mentioned by my IFAD colleague, other longstanding and significant examples of RBA collaboration include:
• One: the Sahel programme, in support of food insecure and vulnerable populations, is establishing the economic and social foundations for sustained peace and equitable development;
• Two: through our joint work on gender equality and empowerment, we have reduced food insecurity and malnutrition in over 15 countries;
• Third: coherence of action based on science and a professional approach to build a common reputation within the UN system; and
• Fourth: we need to have a joint proposal for donor support.
12. This year we have enjoyed a close cooperation during these challenging times, each playing its own part, complementary to each other – this is our valued added to strengthen collaboration.
13. This is the type of RBA collaboration needed to continue to transition from crises interventions to longer-term development.
14. During the global food crisis, the RBAs redirected efforts to effectively respond through:
• First: a stronger coordination in humanitarian crisis contexts – tackling short-term emergency relief and long-term resilience building;
• Second: monitoring the impacts of the rising prices of food, feed, fuel and fertilizers, through inter-agency platforms, such as the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), as well as the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), in which I participated together with WFP a couple of days ago; and
• Third: placing food security high on the global political agenda such as the Global Food Security Ministerial Meeting and other key international fora.
15. Our joint advocacy efforts, in particular through the Global Network Against Food Crises, have raised awareness of the urgent need for action to address the root causes of food crises.
16. Acute food insecurity continues to escalate globally and at a pace that is unacceptable.
17. At FAO, we are committed to doing our part.
18. For example, in Afghanistan, FAO was able to distribute agricultural assistance packages, including seeds and technical training, for the wheat cultivation season.
19. This means that we will support more than 9 million people, this year alone.
20. In Ukraine, FAO worked to restore grain storage capacity, functionality of supply chains and enabled Ukrainian farmers, especially smallholder farmers, to continue producing food.
21. In these and so many other countries, WFP and IFAD are also playing important roles,
22. And together with IFAD we are conducting a feasibility study and evaluation of the joint investment plan.
23. Each of us has our own unique contributions to make, but it is imperative that we work as One UN.
24. These challenges take more than the three agencies based here in Rome.
25. We must break down silos.
26. The UN Food Systems Summit Coordination Hub, hosted by FAO on behalf of the UN system, is just one example of this collaboration, which will play a critical role in coordinating action at country level, to address global challenges.
Dear Colleagues,
27. To be more flexible and fit for purpose, we continue to strive to increase our efficiency in delivery on the ground and within our organizations.
28. Your strategic vision and support are key for our successful collaboration and collective outcomes.
29. There is still so much work to be done, and FAO is committed to continue working together with our sister agencies, the wider UN system, with Members, partners, and all stakeholders in support of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
30. And on achieving our collective goal of the 4 Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life for all – leaving no one behind.
31. Thank you.