Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with T.H. Jeanine Milly Cooper, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Liberia

Rome - Director-General QU Dongyu had a bilateral meeting today with Her Excellency T.H. Jeanine Milly Cooper, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Liberia during which the Minister thanked the Director-General and FAO for the ongoing strategic partnership and support to the government.
The Minister underlined that the difficulties being faced by Liberia have made the progress in their agrifood system transformation challenging. She noted the Ebola virus, COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, as well as the war in Ukraine, as events that have made agriculture production difficult in the country. The Minister outlined various national priorities and activities moving forward to enhance and increase agricultural production by emphasizing the need for coherent and good developmental plans that are also sustainable. She requested FAO’s support for strategically planning with the Government the path forward.
The Director-General expressed his appreciation to the Minister, in particular for her forward-looking vision. He shared with her the importance of the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative to develop the country’s investment plans strategically. He also referred to the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, which is another key tool that can support the agrifood systems transformation. The Director-General and the Minister also discussed the Green Cities initiative as it addresses the Government’s emphasis on climate mitigation and the promotion of agroforestry.
The two also discussed the importance of youth and women empowerment in the agriculture sector and how to best to support them through capacity development.