C44 SIDE EVENT LAUNCH OF THE FAO PROGRAMME AND PROJECT DASHBOARDS AND TRANSPARENCY PORTAL Opening Remarks

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to join you for the launch of FAO’s enhanced Transparency Portal and new Dashboards – reflecting our strong commitment to openness, accountability, and results orientated performance.

When I came to this Organization six years ago, and even before then as the responsible Minister in China for monitoring the performance of FAO, WFP, and IFAD, I always had questions, such as where the money goes, what is the result, and what about auditing?

The system here is too outdated. You only look at the financial regulations, which is the traditional auditing. But in China, when I was Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 23 years ago, I introduced performance auditing. I tried to introduce it here at FAO, but realized it was very difficult.

Finally, what we can do is a step in between: and this is exactly what we have done with this Transparency Portal.

The Pandemic delayed it a little bit, or maybe we were not ready, but thanks to our teams led by Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, and Beth Crawford, Assistant Director-General, we are now launching it.

What is the real power? Is it money, human resources or the means to control power? I learned this concept through the MPA Degree from Tsinghua University: the concept of money flow, human capital flow, along with a rules-based system.

For me it is very simple. But putting it together, in the proper and transparent way, that is traceable, accountable and reliable – that is not easy. But thanks to digital technology and a digital FAO now it is possible.

So, we need technological support, and a mentality change, and we need to streamline the whole process. I decided recently that HR should have an AI policy consultation. That is another step forward. We should offer professional services to our staff and employees to get clear answers and not based on individual interpretation. I always believe in technology and not in the individual person.

Every individual person has their own limits – for rules, for understanding, for interpretation, and that is no surprise. And it is not a language problem only. That’s why you need so many lawyers – lawyers make simple business so complicated! Thanks to the new AI, we will be far less dependent on lawyers. I didn’t say it is not necessary, but just less dependent.     

Since taking office as FAO Director-General, I have prioritized digital transformation. I knew after digitization, even for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), it is much easier to investigate misconduct. Be honest, some cases were not moving forward because the papers had been destroyed. But now, through digitalization it is not possible. Even if you delete something from your mailbox, we can retrieve it. Be careful! That’s science! If you delete an email, you only delete it from your eyes. There is always a trace in the system. That is why we depend on AI. Of course, with AI we have some limits, but that is why we have qualified staff to control it. AI is not an end in itself, but a way to better serve you - our Members, our partners.

When we launched the first version of the Transparency Portal last July, your response was clear: it was a step in the right direction. We know that anything you start always starts with a first step – just like when the small kids start to walk independently, it always starts with a first step. The first 100 meters is very challenging for them, but after training they are able to walk independently.

The same applies to us. We took the first step and almost one year later, after 365 days of practice, we managed!  I remember when we started the digital FAO on 1 December 2019 and now, we are one of the best in the UN system.  

Here at FAO headquarters, 3 000 people every day printed approximately 10 A4 pages – how much money did that cost? What was the environmental cost?

We did not realize the amount of environmental waste we were making with our very hands, even though every day we talk about protecting the environment.

Now, across FAO – whether at headquarters or in the field and country offices – we may print something, but very little and definitely not the same as before. This is real digital transparency. Because when you share a document in printed form, it is not real transparency.

Dear Members,

Since the launch of the first Transparency Portal, you have provided valuable, direct and constructive feedback to develop it further. We listened and we took action, in line with your input.

The new tools we are presenting today are in direct response to your call for greater transparency, easier access to information, and a clearer picture of FAO’s global operations. It is also a strategic investment in how FAO works, reports and evolves.

The Transparency Portal and Dashboards offer an interactive view into FAO’s operations:

• First: where we work,
• Second: what is funded,
• Third: who we serve, and
• Fourth: how we allocate resources, including FAO staff.

We should use science and technology to build an effective and efficient Organization. Transparency is not only about sharing data. It is about building trust, enabling accountability, and supporting evidence-based decision-making.

I want to thank all the colleagues who contributed to this initiative. And I am lucky to have you all here - open-minded, cooperative, and willing to share. Willing to be accountable. It is a good example of One FAO at its best, bringing together technical excellence and cross-divisional collaboration.

Today is another step in the right direction – but we are not stopping here.

We will continue refining these tools. We will have V.1.1, V.2.1, V.3.1, with no end. At least, when you look back you will appreciate what we have achieved after so many versions. Even when I edit my speeches, I do it 3 or 5 times, but in the end when I compare it to the original zero draft, then I see that it is much better.

So, that is the revolution. That is evolution.

So, I invite you to explore these tools and continue guiding us.

Together, we can continue building a more transparent, more responsive and accountable and more impactful FAO. That is the real purpose – it is not just about controlling the process; it’s about controlling the good results!

In management there are two ways: one is process control and the other is objective control and if we combine these two together, we can ensure impactful results.

Thank you.