Hungary’s President Áder and FAO Director-General agree on the need to safeguard forests, land and water resources

President of Hungary János Áder has congratulated FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu for taking office, while noting the important issues FAO needs to help countries address, including the depletion of natural resources which is critical for the development of agriculture.

Áder noted that his country, like many others, is losing both forests and arable land, and he also expressed concern for the depletion of the world’s water resources.

The FAO Director-General said he shared this view, noting that he made safeguarding water resources one of the main pillars of his campaign for the position.

Qu noted that developing agriculture in a sustainable way requires enabling policies coupled with investments in innovation and technology and countries also need to find ways to better market their agricultural products. FAO he noted, has the expertise to assist with this.

Qu thanked President Áder whose country hosts FAO’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia which provides and coordinates the agency’s policy and technical assistance to Member Countries in the region.