FAO Chief Scientist in Canada for inaugural mission
Ottawa, ON – Canadian and Moroccan national, Ismahane Elouafi, marked her inaugural mission to Canada in her official capacity as the Chief Scientistof the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations since joining the Organization in September 2020.Elouafi headed to Ottawa following the Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and ahead of the AIM for Climate Summit taking place in Washington, DC.
During her mission, Elouafi, joined by Jocelyn Brown Hall, Director of FAO Liaison Office for North America met with key government agencies to strengthen partnership between FAO and Canada to leverage science, technology and innovation to address agrifood systems challenges.
Elouafi previously held senior scientific and leadership positions in the Canadian government, including Senior Adviser to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch in Ottawa, Canada; the National Manager of Plant Research Section; and Director of Research Management and Partnerships Division at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Elouafi started her day meeting Maggie Gorman-Velez, Director for Policy and Evaluation at International Development Research Centre (IDRC),where they discussed gene-editing technology as a promising new tool for plant and animal breeding and the opportunity to leap-frog this technology in low- and middle- income countries. The Chief Scientist reiterated FAO’s commitment to utilize science and technology not only to drive productivity but to do so in a resilient, inclusive and sustainable way.
At Global Affairs Canada, Elouafi met with Drew Smith, Director General, International Assistance Policy, and Myriam Montrat, Director General, Sustainable Economic Growth Partnerships, Global Affairs Canada. They discussed the importance of incorporating Indigenous People’s knowledge and practices into scientific research and policy-making.The need to adapt technologies to meet gender-basedrequirements as a means to advance gender equality in agrifood systems was also a point of discussion.
She also met with her former colleague at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada (AAFC)Dr. Gilles Saindon, Chief Scientist and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Science and Technology Branch.
At the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Elouafi met with Dr. Primal Silva, Chief Science Operating Office
The timely meeting highlighted key areas where FAO and Canada can work more closely towards advancing innovations to transform agrifood systems.
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