Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with H.E. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi

New York – Director-General QU Dongyu met today with H.E. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi on the sidelines of the 77^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The President expressed his gratitude for the work of FAO as it is delivering transformative programmes in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).  He also thanked the Director-General for the work FAO is undertaking in Malawi.

The President also outlined the government development strategy, ‘Malawi 2063’, launched in 2021 with the goal of becoming a self-reliant upper middle-income country by 2063. 

The Director-General expressed his appreciation for the President’s strong leadership and commitment to LDCs and for Malawi’s leadership as current chair of the Group of LDCs, and noted that FAO is fully supporting the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs.

The Director-General also highlighted some of the key reforms he has emplaced in the Organization since 2019 to ensure FAO is fit-for-purpose and equipped to deliver support to all its Members. Of particular relevance to Malawi, he cited FAO’s new Office of SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs and highlighted the Organization’s systematic and structural commitment to do more and better for these countries in finding solutions to the specific challenges they face. 

The Director-General also touched upon FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which prioritizes support to countries and territories where poverty and hunger are highest, national capacities are limited, or operational difficulties are greatest due to natural or man-made crises. 

The Director-General also expressed his hope that Malawi would participate in the World Food Forum, the Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, which will all take place in Rome, Italy during the week of 17-22 October.

The President and Director-General also touched upon various other topics during the meeting, including modernization in mechanization; food safety; agricultural value chains and job creation; building competitiveness in exports; and other issues.