FAO and Poland discuss ways to cooperate within the framework of Hand-in-Hand Initiative

10 February 2020, Rome - FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, today met Jan Krzysztof Ardanowsk, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland. Both parties agreed on the importance of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative and discussed ways to strengthen collaboration within the framework of this new business model to eradicate hunger and poverty.

Qu commended the Minister for the successful transformation of his country’s agricultural sector from traditional farming towards an international farming system, and encouraged Poland to share their valuable experience with other FAO Member States.

During the meeting, the FAO chief also invited Poland to play an active role in relevant global issues, such as the International Year of Plant Health 2020 , the management of land and water resources and other multilateral partnerships.

For his part, the Minister noted that Poland is a rapidly developing country which attaches great importance to its collaboration with the Rome-based UN food agencies.  He said that Poland is willing to take a more active role in fighting hunger and ensuring sustainable management of natural resources.

Stressing that eradicating hunger is not only a moral issue but also a global challenge and no one country can solve it alone, he suggested that governments, the private sector, international organizations and other partners should join efforts to accelerate progress towards sustainable development.  

The Minister concluded by expressing his willingness to provide concrete support to the Hand-in-Hand Initiative and thanking the Director-General for his prodigious efforts so far.