Involving the private sector will be essential for an effective post-COVID-19 response. This was one of the key conclusions of a virtual meeting between FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol and European Commission Deputy Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) María Angeles Benítez Salas and her team. “With the revision and streamlining of FAO’s Private Sector Strategy by the end of 2020, FAO is hoping to have a more dynamic relationship with the private sector,” Ms Bechdol said.

Both parties also discussed the newly-established Task Force on the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition in Africa, co-chaired by the African Union and FAO with the participation of the European Union and other partners. The task force will oversee the implementation of the actions identified by the African Ministers for Agriculture in their Political Declaration adopted in April 2020.

Both the European Commission and FAO Deputy Director-General agreed to work more closely together on digitalization and innovation, in close collaboration with the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), areas of focus which are at the heart of their work on agriculture, and which will be facilitated further by the creation of a new office for innovation and the appointment of a Chief Scientist at FAO.

With the release of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy on 20 May, Ms Benítez Salas was also eager to hear FAO’s views on the strategy, which has a strong global dimension to reinforce green development and sustainable food systems. The strategy was developed under the lead of the EU Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) in collaboration with various Directorates-General in association with DG AGRI. Other Directorates-General were also consulted.

The post-COVID-19 Response in Africa will be at the center of discussions at the EU-AU Summit tentatively scheduled for the end October 2020 in Brussels.