Ottawa – The local weather disaster, gender equality and innovation are three priorities that ought to information the cooperation between Canada, america, and the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) over the following two years.
This was the message from FAO Director-Basic QU Dongyu on Tuesday as he addressed the opening of the eighth version of the Casual North America Regional Convention (INARC), which takes place in Ottawa and is being hosted by the Canadian authorities.
Qu started by thanking the 2 governments for his or her ongoing help because the inception of FAO, almost 80 years in the past, earlier than expressing his gratitude for his or her help within the approval of a 5.6 % enhance to FAO’s common program price range – the primary such enhance in 12 years.
“Contemplating the troublesome financial situations globally, it’s price noting that your help to FAO has been traditionally excessive over the previous two years. To me, this reveals that confidence in FAO is being restored, and is an plain recognition of our vital contribution to world meals safety,” Qu stated through video hyperlink from FAO’s headquarters in Rome.
The Director-Basic reminded the convention about his efforts to enhance transparency in FAO’s governance preparations, in addition to his concentrate on re-creating FAO as “an agile, action-oriented fit-for-purpose Group, able to innovating and discovering options to the continuing world challenges.”
Such challenges embrace persistently excessive meals costs, financial slowdowns, and the local weather disaster, which disproportionally have an effect on probably the most susceptible. The persevering with battle in Ukraine, in addition to conflicts and rising humanitarian crises – equivalent to in Gaza, Afghanistan, Haiti, the Sudan, and Yemen – are additionally of “nice concern.”
Along with its companions, FAO is offering technical and agricultural help to carry reduction, rebuild, and restore agricultural manufacturing.
“FAO is dedicated to pursuing new revolutionary pathways to rework world agrifood methods to be extra environment friendly, extra inclusive, extra resilient, and extra sustainable,” Qu stated.
Its 4 Betters – higher manufacturing, higher vitamin, a greater setting and a greater life – are the pillars of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 and the pathway for us to make sure that nobody is left behind, the Director-Basic stated.
Cooperation priorities
The Casual North America Regional Convention takes place each two years. Whereas it isn’t an official a part of the FAO governing physique course of, it provides a significant alternative for in-depth discussions with two of FAO’s most lively and supportive Members.
Based on the Director-Basic, the collaboration between FAO, Canada and america over the following two years ought to concentrate on three key areas: Rural transformation and decreased inequalities, particularly gender equality; science, innovation and know-how; and local weather, biodiversity and the setting.
Empowering youth and girls is crucial for agrifood methods transformation and sustainable rural growth, Qu stated.
That is the reasoning behind the launch by FAO of two experiences devoted to gender equality and inclusion – “The Standing of Girls in Agrifood Techniques” and “The Unjust Local weather” – which offer new information and proof on the necessity to spend money on gender equality. On this context, FAO has established an Workplace of Youth and Girls to mainstream this vital work, Qu stated.
Innovation, along with science and know-how, are seen as key accelerators to boost effectiveness and affect and at the moment are entrance and heart in all of FAO’s efforts, Qu stated.
Lastly, the concept that remodeled agrifood methods could be a answer to the local weather disaster is behind FAO’s International Roadmap on Attaining SDG2 with out breaching the 1.5C threshold. The roadmap offers a holistic technique for international locations to make coverage choices and revolutionary actions to deal with the problems of starvation and local weather.
FAO’s work is targeted on supporting Members to construct resilience in order that particularly probably the most susceptible can forestall, and address, crises and shocks, significantly ladies, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized communities – all areas the place Canada and america have been supportive, Qu stated. This additionally consists of FAO’s dedication to the One Well being agenda to assist, detect and reply to rising illness threats globally.
“We depend on the continuing help from Canada and america to proceed constructing these already sturdy and longstanding partnerships,” Qu stated. “Collectively, as companions, we will understand the unique imaginative and prescient of your leaders after World Conflict II for establishing the Meals and Agriculture Group and for outlining our mandate and mission for a world free from starvation and malnutrition.”
