CABO VERDE Amilcar Cabral Award Ceremony Acceptance Speech

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to be here in Cabo Verde to accept the esteemed Amilcar Cabral Award.

On behalf of FAO, I wish to sincerely thank His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Cabo Verde, for this prestigious award, which greatly honours our Organization and is an important recognition of the strong partnership between FAO and Cabo Verde.

I also wish to thank His Excellency the Prime Minister, and through him the Government of Cabo Verde, especially our window Minister of Agriculture and Environment, and indeed to all the people of this beautiful small island state for the warm hospitality and sincere friendship.

Since taking office as FAO Director-General five years ago, I have had the privilege and pleasure of deepening my knowledge of this beautiful country by working alongside one of your most prominent representatives within the UN system, Ms Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of FAO. Through her I have appreciated the skills, knowledge and potential of this great, small nation. And although she retires in a few days, her legacy and the contribution of one of Cabo Verde’s most influential women will remain long beyond her departure.

Small Island Developing States – the SIDS – such as Cabo Verde have been my focus from the beginning, and for this reason I established the FAO Office of SIDS, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), to fully leverage the knowledge and expertise of the Organization for the benefit of these countries and to strengthen support to them in transforming their agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

Today’s Award celebrates the fruitful partnership between FAO and Cabo Verde over nearly five decades – since 1976 – and recognizes the successes we have achieved together so far.

But it also marks the beginning of an even closer relationship as we continue to work together to achieve our collective aspiration for Cabo Verde to achieve the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all people across this small island developing state – leaving no one behind.

Our achievements could not have been possible without effective teamwork and the collective efforts of everyone – from the political will of the top levels of government, to national technical experts, from FAO’s management to our technical experts at headquarters, at the regional level and in the country office.

And above all our partners. This Award is a reflection of effective engagement and true partnership. It is the sum of our technical expertise, our joint dedication and our shared passion. We cannot, and must not, do this work alone if we want to achieve true and lasting change, for the benefit of all people in Cabo Verde, and beyond.

Dear Friends,

On behalf of FAO, I could not accept this award without conveying a special word of thanks to the people we work with daily in Cabo Verde, who are at the core of our Strategic Framework and our mandate: the farmers, livestock breeders, producers, fishers, traders, and other community members - they are the real face of change and progress.  They are the true heroes of our shared success.

Well done to TEAM FAO for the excellent work! It makes me proud to lead such a dedicated and competent group of people!

Obrigado!

Thank you very much!