Director-General QU Dongyu

Readout of the Director-General’s bilateral meeting with the President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez

26/01/2023

Asunción – Today FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met the President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, during an official visit to the country after the closing of the 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which took place in Buenos Aires on 24 January.

The President expressed satisfaction with FAO’s work in Paraguay in a time of simultaneous crises, including those due to the impacts of the climate crisis (droughts and floods), and the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that, despite this negative scenario, Paraguay has been able to reduce extreme poverty in recent years.

President Mario Abdo said that Paraguay produces enough agrifood output to feed 70 million people and is a significant exporter of soybeans and bovine meat. He also noted that economic growth momentum is strong in the country, and said that FAO, in close coordination with the Ministry for Agriculture, could provide support to expand the country’s programmes in several areas linked to food and agriculture.

The Director-General complimented the President for the progress made by Paraguay during these challenging times, but noted there was still a lot of work to do, and in this regard highlighted Paraguay’s capacity to drive environmental programmes, including through funding from the Green Climate Fund.

Qu emphasized the need to focus on sustainable production and noted that FAO is ready, through the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, to help the country design an investment plan to transform agrifood systems.

The Director-General also noted that Paraguay has many experiences to share with other countries and to be a reference for its expertise and experience in transforming agrifood systems.