A world without hunger is possible: Ramping up efforts and strengthening collaborations

A world without hunger is possible, but this cannot be achieved in isolation. The FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York has kicked off the year by strengthening synergies and collaboration with Member States, the United Nations (UN) and its Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies.

For FAO, 2020 was the year of reform and efficiency, and 2021 will be the year of continued efficiency and increased effectiveness. The FAO Liaison Office in New York is prioritizing strengthening synergies with partners; maximizing partnerships; advocating for sustainable agri-food systems transformation, rural development, sustainable agriculture and resilience; and supporting the work of the UN.

Bilateral meetings with Member States

QU Guangzhou, newly appointed FAO Director of the Liaison Office in New York, initiated in February a series of courtesy calls with Member States and UN entities. In these meetings, FAO’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the transformation of food systems, FAO’s support to the upcoming Food Systems Summit, its commitment to the UN reform, and the specific challenges faced by SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs were some of the issues discussed. In the conversations, QU Guangzhou also informed on FAO’s work and priorities, highlighting the Hand-in-Hand Initiative and other initiatives, and explained FAO’s new vision of the "4 betters" – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – which is guiding the organization’s efforts to transform food systems so they are more sustainable, inclusive and resilient, improve its contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and leave no one behind. Qu Guangzhou referred to the establishment of dedicated offices to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, to the SDGs and to Innovation as examples of how FAO was reorganizing itself to deliver better results.

During their meeting, Ambassador Perks M. Ligoya, Permanent Representative of Malawi to the UN and Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LCDs), stated that LDCs urge all stakeholders to brainstorm on what is necessary to achieve the SDGs in the upcoming 10 years, in view of the upcoming Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries. A proposal was made for FAO to brief the group of LDCs, LLDCS and SIDS in the near future in more detail on FAO priorities and initiatives. Discussions with Ambassador Teburoro Tito, Permanent Representative of Kiribati to the UN,focused on the importance of FAO’s support to make ocean food available and stressed that 90 percent of Nauru's food comes from the oceans and in certain coastal areas fish stocks are depleted. When meeting Ambassador DAI Bing, Deputy Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the UN, the importance of tackling rural poverty was stressed. FAO also commended China for the successful eradication of extreme poverty in 2020, 10 years before the projected date to achieve SDG1. The meeting with Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN, touched on the impact of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition and the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit. The bilateral with Ambassador Margo Reminisse Deiye, Permanent Representative of Nauru to the UN, highlighted the importance of transforming food systems, the need to encompass all food systems (including aquatic and ocean-based), and to place food security and nutrition in SIDS high on the agenda. Ambassador Mohammad Kurniadi Koba, Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, expressed his appreciation for the existing collaboration on advancing agriculture, food security and nutrition issues, and the challenges related to natural disasters and climate impacts were discussed. At the meeting of Ambassador Olof Skoog, Head of the European Union Delegation in the UN, QU Guangzhou recognized the EU’s contribution and support to FAO. They discussed the need to transform food systems to deliver the SDGs, respond to climate change and biodiversity challenges and the opportunity to use the COVID-19 response to build back better.

Meetings with the UN and its Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies

In a round of initial meetings with UN counterparts, QU Guangzhou laid the groundwork for greater collaboration and reiterated that FAO is committed to the UN Reform and to delivering the 2030 Agenda. As in meetings with Member States, he also informed on FAO’s work and its new strategic framework, the "4 betters" vision and flagship initiatives, and explained how FAO re-structuring would allow for better coordination with the UN System and delivery against the 2030 Agenda.

During the meeting with Michele Candotti, Chief of Staff and Director of the Executive Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), they identified synergies and concrete opportunities for increased collaboration and coincided on the relevance of working towards an even closer collaboration at the technical/working level. As FAO and UN Environment Programme prepare the launch of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, Satya S. Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office at UNEP, expressed his wishes to strengthen the existing collaboration that led to the realization of successful events on food loss and waste last year.  When meeting with Vivian Okeke, Director of the New York Office at International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), they spoke about the important work that the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture carries out. During the meeting with Kelly Ann Naylor, UNICEF Associate Director for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) & Vice Chair of UN Water, the discussion focused on the upcoming World Water Day and on strengthening joint efforts on UN-Water activities and SDG 6 events. In discussions with Marie-Paule Roudil, Director of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Liaison Office in New York, closer collaboration was agreed in areas of mutual interest, including on FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). The meeting with Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator of OCHA, reviewed the close collaboration between FAO, OCHA and other partners on humanitarian issues, which was critical in face of escalating acute food insecurities and the challenges of preventing famine and in response to threats such as the Desert Locusts. When meeting with Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, Director of the Sustainable Development Unit in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations, the agenda was centred on strengthening collaboration to transform food systems in light of the upcoming Food Systems Summit, delivering the 2030 Agenda and leaving no one behind. It was noted that addressing special needs of SIDS, LDCs and LLDC and countries in food crisis and scaling up action is critical. Robert Piper, Assistant Secretary-General for the Development Coordination Office, thanked FAO’s active engagement in the UN Reform and UN Sustainable Development Group at all levels. QU Guangzhou reiterated FAO’s commitment to improving UN support to its Membership and to supporting the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.