Senior FAO Leadership Heads to Canada for Inaugural Visit

9-10 June 2022, Ottawa, ON – Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) embarked on her inaugural visit to Canada with Jocelyn Brown Hall, Director of the FAO Liaison Office for North America. Over the two-day visit, DDG Bechdol met with Leaders of Parliament and senior officials from key government agencies.   

The mission started off with Deputy DG Bechdol updating the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on the situation in Ukraine during an Informal Roundtable. DDG Bechdol noted FAO’s work on the ground in Ukraine to safeguard the food security and livelihoods and its close analysis of evolving food security conditions and needs. 

The Senate of Canada formally acknowledged Beth Bechdol and FAO’s work to ensure food security worldwide. During the recognition, Senator Robert Black noted the importance of prioritizing immediate life and livelihood savings assistance for hunger hotspots around the world.  

DDG Bechdol also met one-on-one with Senator Robert Black, Paula Simons, Peter M. Boehm. She noted the importance of Canada’s leadership in building sustainable and resilient agifood systems, despite the multiple threats confronting global food security ranging from conflict, weather extremes, economic shocks, the fallout from COVID-19, and repercussions that the war in Ukraine is having on global food commodity value-chains.  

DDG Bechdol also met with senior leaders from Global Affairs Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). She also had the opportunity to meet with young female Ukrainian women interning for Parliament through the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program.