Re-elected FAO Director-General QU Dongyu highlighted the OCOP in his opening statement at the 43rd Session of FAO Conference

Rome, 3 July 2023 - On the day following his re-election, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) QU Dongyu, highlighted One Country One Priority Product Initiative (OCOP) in his opening statement at the 43rd Session of the FAO Conference (1-7 July).  The OCOP was listed among five core initiatives that he started during his first mandate, along with the Green Cities Initiative which is also part of the FAO Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP).

QU Dongyu chairs the OCOP Steering Committee and has been involved and supportive of the OCOP since the launch of the Initiative.

In his opening statement to the Conference, the Director-General stated that OCOP "places the production, distribution and marketing models of smallholders and family farming at the centre of interventions. It helps countries leverage their potential and identify Special Agricultural Products adapted to their agro-ecological production systems, and national or cultural heritage, ensuring improved access to stable markets and acting as a key entry point for reaching their defined priorities."