FAO Brussels Director briefs EU Council’s AGRIFAO Working Party under Spanish Presidency
©Council of the EU
18 July - FAO Brussels Director Raschad Al-Khafaji presented a summary of the latest developments in the area of food and agriculture and shared some of the upcoming activities of the FAO Brussels office at the Council Working Party on International Food and Agricultural Questions (AGRIFAO).
This was the second time in 2023 that FAO Brussels Director presented to AGRIFAO on invitation of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Al-Khafaji summarized the most recent information on the global food security situation, including the latest numbers on hunger and malnutrition released in the State on Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report.
His presentation also included an overview of the successful collaboration of FAO with the Swedish Presidency that concluded on 30 June, particularly in co-organizing two joint events focusing on water and bioeconomy. He further mentioned FAO's contributions to the various Council Working Parties, particularly the ones to CODEV-PI with the participation of FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero.
Alluding to the new Spanish Presidency, he noted that its key themes are fitting with many of FAO’s priorities.
Presenting an overview of the outcomes of the 43rd Session of the FAO Conference, FAO Brussels Director mentioned the re-election of Director-General QU Dongyu for a second term and informed on the endorsement of Water, as the Organization’s biennial theme for 2024-2025.
Al-Khafaji also introduced some of FAO's work under the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and provided an update on the Organization's activities in Ukraine.
The presentation was followed with a Q&A Session with the AGRIFAO Membership.