Bilateral meeting with His Highness Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, Head of State of Samoa

Apia, Samoa - The FAO Director-General met with His Highness Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, Head of State of Samoa, to discuss collaborative efforts for sustainable development and regional cooperation.

The Director-General expressed deep appreciation for Samoa’s leadership and support in hosting FAO’s Subregional Office for the Pacific, which acts as a liaison for 13 Pacific countries, fostering stronger regional collaboration.

He highlighted the establishment of FAO’s Office of SIDS, LDCs, and LLDCs, created to bolster support for Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries, and Landlocked Developing Countries.

He emphasized that the 2024 Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Solutions Forum, aimed to drive innovative knowledge-sharing both within and across regions, helping to incubate, scale, and replicate successful initiatives that accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in agriculture, food, nutrition, environment, and health.

The Director-General further highlighted that as a technical organization, FAO offers a vital platform for Member support, and reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to delivering on its commitments, in line with its mandate.

His Highness the Head of State of Samoa expressed gratitude for FAO’s longstanding support to Samoa and praised the Director-General’s leadership. His Highness affirmed Samoa’s eagerness to strengthen its partnership with FAO, advancing joint efforts to promote sustainable development and resilience in the region.