Bilateral meeting with The Right Honourable Feleti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu

Nice, France - The FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu, met with The Right Honourable Feleti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, on the sidelines of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France.

The Director-General thanked the Prime Minister for his continued support to FAO’s work, highlighting that each country no matter how big or small played an equal role in the Organization’s governance, and that Members were at the center of all decision-making, which also implied they had to take responsibility for the Organization. In this regard, the Director-General referred to the upcoming 44th Session of the FAO Ministerial Conference taking place at FAO headquarters in Rome from 28 June to 5 July 2025.

The Right Honourable Prime Minister conveyed his appreciation to the Director-General for the opportunity to meet and expressed satisfaction with the ongoing collaboration with FAO, in particular in the area of fisheries noting that the ocean was at the heart of Tuvalu’s culture. The Prime Minister further emphasized that for Tuvalu the ocean was not just a resource, but a territory, and for this reason the UN Ocean Conference was of particular importance for the country. The Prime Minister also informed that the impacts of climate change could have enormous repercussions on the country and for this reason he had established the Tuvalu Coastal Intervention Project, for which he was still seeking funding.

The Director-General responded by highlighting that FAO had significant expertise not only in fisheries but also in aquaculture, through which support could be provided to the Government of Tuvalu, as well as through the FAO Investment Center, which worked in close partnership with the World Bank.

Finally, the Director-General referred to FAO's 80th anniversary celebration on 16 October 2025, which also marked World Food Day, and which would take place during the annual World Food Forum from 13 to 17 October. The Director-General highlighted that the Forum provided an important platform for countries to share expertise and experiences, including in the fisheries sector.

Upon conclusion of the meeting, the Prime Minister handed over the Instrument of Accession of Tuvalu to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.