Bilateral Meeting with The Honourable Lord Fohe, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forests; and The Honourable Dr. Siale Ákauóla, Minister of Health of Tonga

Nadi, Fiji - At the SIDS Solutions Forum held in Nadi, Fiji, the FAO Director-General met with The Honourable Lord Fohe, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forests, and The Honourable Dr. Siale Ákauóla, Minister of Health of Tonga.

Minister Fohe expressed appreciation for FAO’s long-standing support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests, particularly through the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). The Minister requested FAO’s assistance in accelerating the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Tonga Food Security Project’s design phase for submission to the GCF.

The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s support through the FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific (SAP) to advance the GCF Readiness project to support Tonga’s food security goals. The Director-General thanked Tonga for its partnership and encouraged a unified Pacific approach, emphasizing collaboration with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other partners, on biodiversity and climate resilience. He also advocated for stronger integration between agriculture and health under the One Health framework to bolster pandemic preparedness.