The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been diligently supporting its members in achieving the 2030 Agenda and transforming their agrifood systems. During the recent address to the Joint Meeting of the 138th Session of the Programme Committee and the 199th Session of the Finance Committee, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu expressed his contentment with the progress made thus far.
Director-General QU Dongyu commended the successful conclusion of the Regional Conference for Europe, marking the culmination of the five regional ministerial conferences held in 2024, along with the informal North America Regional Conference. These gatherings have sparked extensive discussions on the development of a more professional, modern, and efficient country office network, enabling FAO to better achieve its goals and strategically participate in UN country-level discussions.
In anticipation of his second term as Director-General, Qu outlined the framework for his future work: Recover, Reform, Rebuild, and Renaissance. He also highlighted FAO’s achievements over the past year, including its role in facilitating countries’ access to resources from the Global Environment Facility, with grants and co-financing amounting to over $14.5 billion. Additionally, he mentioned initiatives such as Atoms4Food and RENOFARM, which aim to reduce antimicrobial use on farms.
The substantial level of voluntary contributions received by FAO is a testament to its strong credibility, trending upward in 2024. Qu took the opportunity to commend FAO’s staff and core leadership team for their hard work, empowered by the flatter, modular structure he introduced upon assuming his role as Director-General.
He also welcomed the ongoing reviews of FAO’s work and highlighted his initiatives to expedite recruitment processes, foster inclusivity, and prioritize engagement with women and youth inside and outside the Organization. In fact, FAO achieved the UN gender parity targets for the first time last year for staff in the professional level categories globally.
In his closing remarks, Qu expressed his pride in the collective accomplishments, stating, “We did a lot together. We walked the talk.”
For those interested, the complete speech of the FAO Director-General is available here.