FAO and Bhutan seek strengthen their cooperation to boost rural development

In talks today with Tandi Dorji, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu discussed ways in which the country can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through the agriculture sectors.

During their meeting on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dorji noted that while 80 percent of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture, the sector’s contribution to the economy remains limited.

He and Qu agreed that more needs to be done to create an enabling policy environment to attract investments in rural development. The Director-General said that FAO can support Bhutan with this, and the parties agreed to strengthen their collaboration.

The FAO Director-General also outlined the agency’s new Hand-In-Hand Initiative which prioritizes targeted work that benefits people in the world’s most vulnerable regions including small island developing states, least developed and landlocked countries.