Bilateral Meeting with H.E. Marina Silva, Minister of Environment of Brazil

Baku, Azerbaijan - FAO Director General, Qu Dongyu, met with H.E Marina Silva, Minister of Environment of Brazil on the margins of COP29.

The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s willingness to provide technical support to Brazil to ensure that COP30 has the visibility and impact required. He referred to three major overlapping crises, namely: the climate crisis, food insecurity and land degradation, and stressed the need for science-based and data-based solutions to overcome these challenges, assist vulnerable populations and improve agrifood systems transformation, in line with FAO’s Four Betters.

The Director-General highlighted the importance of promoting both biodiversity and food diversity, as there was a need to create a balance, including the need to increase food production with less inputs and less land degradation. He also referred to the need to promote sustainable livestock to improve meat, fish and egg production, as well as the need to promote healthy lifestyles with green diets. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of better education and advocacy if all these goals were to be achieved.

The Director-General further recognized Brazil’s strategic position as a food producer and exporter and reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to continue to support Brazil in agrifood systems transformation and achieving food security. He encouraged Brazil to use COP30 as an advocacy platform to promote indigenous communities, and to protect indigenous knowledge and food culture.

The Minister thanked the Director-General for the offer to provide technical assistance in preparation for COP30, emphasizing the importance that Brazil attaches to the process. In this regard, she referred to the emphasis placed by President Lula on the need for ethical stocktaking in climate change discussions, based on previous COPs, as this will assist to build consensus in climate change discussions.

She further referred to the food insecurity challenges in Brazil and expressed President Lula’s commitment to achieving Zero Hunger. She further conveyed Brazil’s gratitude for FAO’s support in the G20. She also stated that Brazil needed increased technical assistance from FAO to add value to their agricultural products, and for the need to improve and protect biodiversity.

Finally, the Minister expressed her reaffirmed her appreciation for the strong cooperation between Brazil and FAO, recognizing the problems facing agriculture adaptation systems and stressed the importance of creating a balance to achieve biodiversity. The Director-General agreed on the need to strengthen efforts to mitigate climate change challenges to achieve food security, leaving no one behind.