Standing L-R: Vimlendra Sharan - FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, UN Maldives Resident Coordinator Catherine Haswell and Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan

Malé, Maldives -  The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) QU Dongyu called on the Vice President of the Republic of Maldives, Faisal Naseem. The Director-General extended support to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including Maldives, to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly by strengthening food security and nutrition. FAO and the Government of Maldives reaffirmed commitments to enhance technology and innovation for agrifood systems transformation, and the empowerment of women and youth.

A new chapter in FAO-Maldives cooperation was marked during the Director-General’s visit with today’s launch of the new FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2022 -26. The CPF was signed by the Minister for Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Hussain Rasheed Hassan, on behalf of the Government of Maldives, and the FAO Representative for the Maldives, Vimlendra Sharan. The CPF is fully aligned with Maldives’ development objectives. It will prioritize economic transformation, improved production and decent work; nutrition, food security and sustainable agriculture; sustainable management of natural resources and resilience to the impacts of the climate crisis; and inclusive growth.

The signing ceremony saw the participation of the UN Resident Coordinator in Maldives, Catherine Haswell, and the UN Country Team. Based on the most recent UN Common Country Analysis, the CPF is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-26. In discussions with the UN counterparts at the Maldives UN Country Team meeting, the FAO Director-General commended the support extended by the UN agencies and called for deeper partnerships to support Maldives move closer to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, in particular through sharing of technical knowledge and expertise.

The Director-General concluded a successful visit to the Maldives, where he pledged FAO’s cooperation and continued support to SIDS, before leaving for Dhaka for the 36th Asia Pacific Regional Conference convened by FAO, and hosted by the Government of Bangladesh.

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