Bilateral meeting with H.E. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba

Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today with H.E. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rome.

The Director-General welcomed the Minister, commending the long-standing partnership between Cuba and FAO, and in particular referred to the fruitful and ongoing programme of work in Cuba.  

The Minister thanked the Director-General, praising the Organization’s work in his country and across the Latin America and the Caribbean region. He presented an overview of the current situation in Cuba, and pointed to his country’s resilience, highly qualified labour force, and abundant natural resources. Moreover, the Minister underscored that FAO's role had been instrumental for agricultural development in Cuba and in strengthening the country’s resilience in counteracting the effects of natural disasters, such as the recent Hurricane Melissa. The Minister also referred to Cuba’s fruitful participation in FAO’s flagship initiatives such as the Hand-in-Hand initiative, and requested FAO’s ongoing support in line with the Organization’s mandate.

The Director-General thanked the Minister for the opportunity to meet and highlighted that FAO was a member-owned, member-led professional organization, working to fulfill its mandate by providing technical expertise and support to its Members. The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to continue supporting Cuba and to continue working together towards more sustainable agrifood systems that leave no one behind, and to achieving the Four Betters.