Des Moines/Rome – “Harnessing change is a name to maneuver from motion to evolution, and youth have a paramount position as crucial brokers of change,” QU Dongyu, Director-Common of the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO), mentioned Tuesday in his handle on the Borlaug Worldwide Dialogue of the World Meals Prize 2023 opening ceremony in Iowa.
The annual prize, in honor of Norman Borlaug, thought-about one of many fathers of the Inexperienced Revolution that lifted a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of individuals out of starvation because of his work on higher-yielding wheat varieties, was awarded this yr to Heidi Kühn.
The Director-Common famous how her work, centered on revitalizing farmland and livelihoods after devastating conflicts, demonstrates the important thing position of agriculture in humanitarian response.
“The ideas that underline Dr Borlaug’s luminary work within the discipline of meals and agriculture had been the identical that guided world leaders to ascertain the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations 80 years in the past,” Qu mentioned, noting that like Borlaug he himself was the son of a farmer and has spent his profession pushed by the belief that agriculture can save the world by feeding folks and lifting them out of poverty.
“We’re right here to reaffirm our dedication to work collectively to carry meals and agricultural options to the size wanted to extend the standard, amount, availability, affordability, and accessibility of meals for all,” the Director-Common mentioned on the occasion, held within the metropolis of Des Moines.
In the present day, FAO is effectively positioned “to raised serve its Members, and above all of the farmers of the world,” he mentioned, noting that latest reforms have made the UN specialised company extra agile, extra environment friendly and extra fit-for-purpose, offering skilled and scientific experience to all.
“A brand new considering at FAO has led us to a unique path. We proceed to leverage our collective experience to assist susceptible populations and stand united to realize actual progress,” he mentioned. “Our focus is to achieve zero starvation, and to make sure that the world’s farmers are effectively supported, and rural areas are made extra enticing for the youthful generations.”
4 Betters, 5 key actions.
The Director-Common emphasised how the aspiration of the 4 Betters – Higher Manufacturing, Higher Vitamin, a Higher Atmosphere and a Higher Life, leaving nobody behind – underpin FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31. “Collective actions are crucial to satisfy each instant and longer-term targets,” he mentioned.
He listed 5 key actions that must be addressed to satisfy international targets. First, all international locations should decide to well-functioning markets and market transparency.
Second, susceptible international locations want help to satisfy their meals and fertilizer wants.
Third, we should speed up the transformation of worldwide agrifood techniques, doing so by making the proper investments urgently and strengthening the availability of public items akin to soil maps and extension and advisory companies in addition to innovation, analysis and bettering infrastructure in rural areas. Fourth, the personal sector, which continues to be under-engaged and under-utilized, have to be engaged.
Fifth, filling information gaps by way of science and innovation is important to finish starvation.
FAO has bolstered its actions by strengthening its Funding Centre, intensifying work on emergencies with a brand new mandate that features resilience constructing, upgrading its strategic partnership with the Worldwide Atomic Power Company and additional consolidating its work on local weather change, biodiversity and the surroundings, he mentioned.
FAO has additionally rolled out new flagship initiatives such because the Hand-in-Hand Initiative and its related Geospatial Platform, the 1000 Digital Villages Initiative, the One Nation One Precedence Product Initiative and the Inexperienced Cities Initiative. Qu additionally highlighted how ladies and youth proceed to catch the attention of him, and that following the creation of the FAO Youth Committee and FAO Girls’s Committee upon taking workplace in 2019, he was now creating a brand new Workplace for Youth and Girls to additional help work on this space.
Making it occur
FAO’s Director-Common pointed to the $2.1 billion in voluntary contributions mobilized by FAO in 2022, a historic excessive for the Group and greater than 60 p.c increased than standard, as a mirrored image of the boldness and belief Members have positioned within the new FAO and its capability to realize much more than earlier than.
“FAO is now match to stroll the speak,” he mentioned. He hailed all these working to realize breakthroughs to cut back inequalities, pursue gender parity and supply alternatives for youth within the agricultural sector.
He particularly cited the Imaginative and prescient for Tailored Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative by the US of America to help African governments, farmers, researchers and civil society organizations as they put together the continent’s agrifood techniques for the challenges posed by the local weather disaster.
“That is science in motion, and that is the motion that FAO helps,” Qu mentioned.
“At FAO we now have visionary methods in place, however we’d like extra sources, particularly from voluntary contributions,” he mentioned. “Useful resource mobilization is not merely transactional for FAO,” he added, saying the Group is seeking to construct lasting partnerships, leverage strategic partnerships and “speed up the institution of transformative partnerships with each the personal and the general public sector.”
