Bilateral meeting with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic – H.E. Martin Kováč

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met at FAO headquarters in Rome with H.E. Martin Kováč, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic.

The Director-General thanked the State Secretary for the Slovak Republic’s support to FAO, in particular expressed his appreciation for the unique expertise and experience provided in the area of integrated water management, and also conveyed appreciation for the ongoing support for the Slovak Business Centre at FAO headquarters.

The State Secretary underlined the high importance the Slovak Republic attaches to integrated water management, and mentioned that in March 2023 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development published the White Paper: Water for Climate Healing - A New Water Paradigm on the UN DESA website. The pair also recalled the UN 2023 Water Conference that took place in New York in March, where both the Director-General and State Secretary participated.

The Director-General underlined that water and soil management are central to achieving all SDGs, and that at the 43rd session of the FAO Conference, in July 2023, the topic of the General Debate will be “Water resources management for the Four Betters to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The pair agreed to continue strengthening the excellent relations between FAO and Slovak Republic, working closely together on the sustainable management of water.