Unison prevails as 171st Session of FAO Council comes to successful end

Rome – QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) applauded the successful conclusion of the 171st Session of Council, reminding participating delegates that the current global food security situation “calls upon us to act swiftly, concretely and together.”

The Governing Body wrapped up a week-long meeting Friday and adopted a report setting out recommendation to guide the Organization’s work on key priorities.

The guidance and recommendations from the Council will provide overarching guidance for FAO going forward, Qu said. “Let us continue to make extraordinary efforts to overcome these overlapping challenges for people, planet and prosperity,” he said.

Delegates affirmed their commitment to some of FAO’s key initiative, including the flagship Hand-in-Hand Initiative, for action plans that implement thematic and cross-cutting strategies on Science and Innovation and on Climate Change, and for increased engagement with the private sector.

The Director-General assured Members that FAO will continue to provide technical and professional information analysis on the evolving situations that impact global food security and agrifood systems, notably challenges linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, the war in Ukraine, economic downturns and the increasing impacts of the climate crisis.

Council participants also joined to recognize the strategic importance of integrated water sources management for food security and climate resilience, endorsing the theme for the FAO Conference in 2023.

Qu assure them that FAO will be fully engaged in the UN Water Conference 2023 as an important stepping stone to catalyze broader activity in an area he emphasized was one in which FAO had both a long history and a comparative advantage.