Joint Meeting of the 139th Session of the Programme Committee and the 202nd Session of the Finance Committee

Members of the Joint PC/FC Meeting

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

Good morning. 

I am always pleased for the opportunity to address the Joint Meeting of the Programme and Finance Committees, to provide an overview of progress and developments in our work over the past months since the last session. 

I have just come back from the Pacific where I attended the Pacific SIDS Solutions Forum, during which I had the opportunity to reaffirm FAO’s commitment to intensifying support to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), as well as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), to support the transformation of their agrifood systems. The Forum was highly recognized and appreciated by Members and partners with a high level of participation and intervention.

Later today I will be travelling to Baku, Azerbaijan, for the COP29. FAO has adopted a common approach for the three RIO COPs taking place during these last three months of the year, aimed at further stimulating and strengthening ambitious action towards solutions for climate change based on the transformation of agrifood systems.

FAO has been working closely with the COP29 Presidency, including for the development of the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers, and we will play an important role in its implementation.

Two weeks ago in Cali, Colombia, at the CBD COP16, we launched the Agri Initiative Supporting countries in planning, implementing and monitoring their National Biodiversity Strategies and Plans.

More than 60 percent of human-induced land degradation occurs on agricultural lands, putting unprecedented pressure on the agrifood systems. This is why at the upcoming UNCCD COP 16, in Riyadh, FAO will advocate for the restoration of degraded agricultural land for sustainable production, to ensure sufficient food while enriching biodiversity, sequestering carbon and providing other essential ecosystem services that support human well-being and livelihoods. 

The sustainability of our agrifood systems was also a central theme of discussion during the recent FAO Technical Committee Meetings held over the past months.

The 29th Session of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) reaffirmed the need to continue to scale up our work on One Health; to close gender gaps in agrifood systems; to continue promoting neglected and underutilized crop species; and to increase focus on the climate change-biodiversity-food security nexus, among others.

The 2nd Session of the COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock in July, agreed to develop a negotiated Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Livestock Transformation, and over the next months we will host a series of Regional Fora on Sustainable Livestock Transformation across regions.

Aquaculture plays a growing role in food security and nutrition, livelihoods, economic development and human health. The expansion and intensification of aquaculture has driven the doubling of per capita aquatic food consumption for almost 70 years. Meeting future demands from a growing population requires sustainable growth in this sector, supported by FAO’s leadership and strengthened partnerships for further development.

FAO’s work in the aquaculture sector, informed by the FAO Guidelines on Sustainable Aquaculture recently adopted at the 36th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), aims to drive sustainability, addressing challenges and improving practices, as part of the Blue Transformation roadmap.

The 174th Session of the FAO Council in December 2023 reaffirmed FAO's leading role as the main UN agency for sustainable mountain development. In alignment with this mandate, FAO has continued to support Members with available extra-budgetary resources, by providing tools, methodologies, and capacity-building activities aimed at scaling up sustainable mountain development initiatives, particularly in relation to the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions.

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat, in collaboration with FAO’s technical units and decentralized offices, developed the Global Action Plan on Mountain Regions’ Development, which was shared with Members at the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO). 

I was pleased that the 76th Session of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP) endorsed the Brazilian proposal to establish an International Coffee Day, which is a welcome initiative to highlight global progress towards a more sustainable and resilient coffee value chain.

FAO promotes the coffee value chain through the Hand-in-Hand Initiative to focus on investment in coffee and the coffee industry, and to assist countries to establish public-private partnerships. FAO is also supporting Members in strengthening research and innovation in coffee to transform the coffee sector to make it more inclusive and sustainable.

In addition to the round of Technical Committee sessions, FAO also hosted a number of key meetings during the past semester such as the groundbreaking Global Conference on Animal Health Innovation, Reference Centers and Vaccines in September that brought together, for the first time, Chief Veterinary Officers and government representatives, vaccine manufacturers and representatives from FAO’s 60 reference centers. The Conference identified pathways to accelerate vaccine accessibility especially in low-resource settings and highlighted the importance of capacity-building initiatives and collaborative platforms.

At the UNGA High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in September, FAO emphasized its crucial role in combating AMR through a One Health approach, underlining the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Looking ahead, next year FAO plans to launch the One Health and AMR Knowledge and Intelligence Hub to support countries in scaling up One Health initiatives and sharing best practices to mitigate AMR in agrifood systems.

During my recent visit to Australia, I saw first-hand the top-class attention to biosecurity, which reinforces the important work of the International Plant Protection Convention in advancing plant health and trade security. As we continue to advance the One Health approach, soil and plant health must be prioritized. 

The 12th Plenary Assembly of the Global Soil Partnership held in June recognized the noteworthy progress made and reaffirmed the key role of the Partnership in producing knowledge products, guidelines for sustainable soil management, and soil data and information to enable informed and judicious decision-making.

I congratulate FAO Members and partners who reaffirmed their commitment during the High-Level Rome Water Dialogue on the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) to working together to address water scarcity in agriculture,

Since its inception, the Green Cities Initiative has collaborated with cities worldwide to promote sustainable practices, share innovative solutions and success stories, and demonstrate resilience in the face of urbanization and climate change challenges. Now, with the support of the Italian government, FAO is preparing to launch the project Green Cities Initiative in Action for Africa. This USD 3 million initiative will support ten cities across five African countries in identifying and developing bankable investment programmes tailored to their specific contexts.

As of today, 72 Governments have signed on as official members of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, with an additional five countries engaged and using the innovative Hand-in-Hand tools and approaches such as the Geospatial Platform.

A key milestone was also reached in October 2024 at the third global Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, held under the umbrella of the 2024 World Food Forum, where 29 countries and five Regional Initiatives presented their prioritized agrifood investment cases to a global investor audience at FAO headquarters.

Investment plans for a total value of USD 15 billion, covering 115 investment cases and with an expected 120 million beneficiaries, were presented during the Forum, resulting in over 600 matchmaking meetings being requested by investors with participating member countries and Regional/Subregional Initiatives.

During the World Food Forum, this year’s Science and Innovation Forum also brought together a diversity of ideas, insights, and expertise, reiterating that the availability, accessibility and affordability of science, technology, and innovation, and equitable access to these critical tools, are central to agrifood systems transformation.

We continue to prioritize our efforts to deliver critical, emergency agricultural aid and assistance to farmers most affected by conflict, the climate crisis and economic shocks.

In the coming months, acute food insecurity is set to increase across 22 countries and territories, with Palestine, the Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali at the highest alert level.

In Haiti, 75 percent of acutely food insecure people live in rural areas where agriculture is a source of food and income. We are ramping up our efforts with a reinforced team that is providing increased support to displaced and host families.

In Gaza, our most recent geospatial analysis shows that agricultural infrastructure has been decimated, 95 percent of cattle have died, and nearly 70 percent of cropland is destroyed. Our priority is to reactivate local food production, restore the availability of highly nutritious food and prevent the agricultural sector’s total collapse. We have delivered animal feed and veterinary kits to herders with more shipments being planned.

In the Sudan, in the first half of the year, FAO had already reached 3.8 million people through winter seed distribution and vaccination, and, since June 2024, FAO in collaboration with partners has distributed over 5 000 tonnes of vital crops, and more than 8000kg of vegetable seeds to approximately 2.59 million people – outpacing other UN agencies in deliveries.

In Ukraine, we continue to support rural families with vegetable and cereal seeds and feed, veterinary care and shelter for livestock production. We are also working with WFP and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action to return agricultural land contaminated by mines or unexploded devices to productive use.

FAO’s Afghanistan programme is showing the positive impact that emergency agriculture assistance can have when at-scale funding is provided, complementing humanitarian food assistance. Over the last two years, 6.5 million fewer people were in IPC Phase 3 and above, and this trend continues as the latest IPC projection up until October 2024 indicates that acute food insecurity was at the lowest level recorded since 2021.

The FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 was endorsed at the 2021 Conference, marking the beginning of a transformative journey for FAO. In the years since then we have come a long way in implementing the programmes and mechanisms we put in place. And we have proved that our Strategic Framework is solid.

As you have seen, all recent external assessments have recognized that FAO has a fundamental role in all its areas of expertise and has retained its leading position in its technical focus through the Four Betters, and through our innovative strategic thinking.

But we are also a learning Organization, and have reflected on the way forward, as the world lags in achieving the SDGs, particularly SDGs 1, 2 and 10.

We are now at a crucial stage as we prepare three key documents that will guide our work: the reviewed Strategic Framework 2022-31, the Medium-Term Plan 2026-29, and the Programme of Work and Budget 2026-27. These documents provide an opportunity for us to think together, learn together, building on lessons learned, work together, to respond to evolving external trends, and collaborate together going forward.

We aim to identify opportunities for scaling up work and increasing impact, while leveraging FAO's comparative advantages and taking into account strategic foresight insights on future trends and challenges.

The reviewed Strategic Framework will keep its structure around the Four Betters and 20 Programme Priority Areas (PPAs), with the 2030 Agenda remaining at its centre. We will also identify priority work areas with high potential to trigger transformational change. Together, these documents will provide a clear roadmap for FAO's contribution to agrifood systems transformation and the achievement of the SDGs.

This is truly a pivotal moment that will shape not only FAO's direction, but the future of global food and agriculture for years to come. I therefore urge all Members to jump out of your boxes and silos, to engage fully in this process, and provide your valuable guidance starting with the discussions in this Joint Meeting, the Programme Committee, and the Council Session thereafter. Your input is crucial as we work together towards the 2030 Agenda by supporting the transformation of global agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

The progressive changes that we are making to the Country Office network in close consultation with member countries is another key aspect of ensuring that we are fit for the future and able to translate our knowledge and technical expertise into concrete results on the ground. Having country offices that are professional, modern, flexible, agile, and responsive is a cornerstone of the Four Rs: Recover, Rebuild, and Reform, for a Renaissance of FAO.

Building on the success and positive outcomes of the first FAOR Global Working Conference held in December 2023 at FAO headquarters, the second meeting will be held in Bangkok from 10-12 December 2024. This important second meeting is being convened at a critical time as FAO continues its strategic efforts to implement the Strategic Framework under the guiding principle of the Four Betters - better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life - and aims to further enhance alignment between Decentralized Offices and FAO headquarters, ensuring a unified and effective approach to emerging challenges and opportunities at country level.

And above all, to intensify efforts at delivering as ONE FAO FAMILY.

FAO continues to be committed to producing savings and efficiencies in all its operations. Members will continue to be informed of measures taken in the corporate reporting documents and through the transparent dashboard. You will see that we focus on three main efficiencies:

• One: cost savings – which includes cost reductions as well as cost avoidance;
• Two: time savings; and
• Three: effectiveness improvement.
  

We continuously seek efficiency gains, while ensuring we do not compromise on quality and delivery. We have prepared the Action Plan that you have requested for the formal and informal recommendations.

During this year, we reached even greater heights in resource mobilization from countries and partnerships.

FAO’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) portfolio has grown to USD 1.9 billion in grants and USD 13.4 billion in co-financing. Our partnership supports 141 countries, including LDCs and SIDS, to transform agrifood systems and contribute to global environmental benefits.

And the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has just approved two FAO-led projects with investments worth USD 134 million to support adaptation and enhance the climate resilience of agricultural communities in Somalia and Iraq.

In total, FAO’s GCF portfolio now supports 89 countries with investments worth USD 1.4 billion that advance mitigation and adaptation efforts and transform agrifood systems for a more food secure future.

These investments are a testament to FAO’s commitment to building resilient and sustainable agrifood systems in vulnerable and fragile contexts.

FAO has also successfully secured 21 new projects, totaling USD 109 million, in the second-round call of the Pandemic Fund. This achievement brings FAO’s portfolio to 33 projects across all five regions and 42 countries, with an overall value nearing USD 170 million.

In spite of these increases, however, global development funding trends are concerning to us. Many bilateral resource partners are shifting aid flows and prioritizing domestic needs. This means stretched resources and limited funding availability.

But FAO has been able to withstand this trend, better than many UN agencies, because of a very diversified funding base.

2024 marks the 60th Anniversary of the FAO Investment Centre.

In over 60 years, the Centre has helped design more than 2,400 IFI-financed investment projects in 157 countries, totaling over USD 257 billion in public investment, when adjusted for inflation.

Going forward, we will continue to respond to the growing and evolving demand for investment solutions, working closely with an expanded network of financial and knowledge partners to help countries achieve the Four Betters.

We have USD 1.3 billion in Voluntary Contributions so far this year (through October).  It is a small decline as major donors were in an election year when compared to the same period last year, but still, we are on trend to have our third highest year for mobilized resources. 

We are seeing the benefits at the country level of investments in South-South and Triangular Cooperation, and we have seen that this cooperation is an important complement to the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative and approach to technology transfers. For example:

• Algeria is benefitting from Türkiye’s technical support on figs;
• Cambodia and the Philippines will receive support from China and Indonesia on mangos;  
• Lesotho is set to receive support from China and Peru on potato production; and
• The Pacific SIDS countries have obtained assistance from China, Australia and Japan.
  

Four more countries joined OCOP this year bringing us to a total of 87 participating Members, focusing on 53 different products. We are working on securing more funding to scale up this value chain support to these countries.

Following the 2021-23 Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) Strategic Review and the enhancements agreed with Members, TCP projects have reached an unprecedented level of relevance. These funds are catalysts for resource mobilization, with around USD 5 billion mobilized since 2019, supporting other initiatives such as the Hand-in-Hand, Digital Villages and OCOP at the country level.

Dear Colleagues,

Procurement at FAO has expanded significantly in recent years, driven by successful resource mobilization. Procurement now represents a substantial part of the Organization’s budget. This growth clearly shows the critical role procurement plays in ensuring the effective delivery of FAO’s programmes, especially in emergency contexts, where 80 percent of procurement supports emergency operations.

Following my guidance, a dedicated Logistics Unit was established in July to further streamline FAO’s logistics function. This Unit is developing guidelines and an implementation roadmap for efficient and sustainable supply chain management, with a focus on supporting FAO’s operations effectively.

A logistics policy is also underway and set for rollout in the first half of 2025. This will be the first milestone towards a fully operational, and purpose-driven Supply Chain Management System at FAO.

The success of FAO is built on the talent, dedication, and creativity of our work force. My focus continues to be that of fostering a dynamic, diverse, inclusive, and high-performing culture, ensuring that we have the right people in the right roles at the right time.

We continue to focus efforts on streamlining and improving our talent acquisition and recruitment processes, addressing gaps and bottlenecks to speed up the process, to ensure that FAO fills vacant positions and retains the technical capacity to deliver on its mandate.

We are also deploying more targeted outreach strategies to increase the diversity of the workforce, with a particular emphasis on addressing gender parity at the senior levels, as well as geographic representation.

At the recent 2024 Intergenerational Dialogue, held in the lead up to World Food Forum, I emphasized that we need to build a balanced culture, as young people are our future.

In October, we have also re-introduced the Orientation Programme for new staff members, to equip newcomers with the tools, resources, and insights necessary to adapt to their roles and contribute effectively to the Organization’s goals and objectives.

Listening to employees and their concerns has been a focus of mine since day one. To that end, the third Employee Satisfaction Survey was launched on 7 October for over 16 000 employees. The Survey serves as a tool to measure key organizational aspects such as workplace culture, job satisfaction, and employee well-being. It provides a valuable data source for FAO to identify specific areas for improvement and implement targeted actions.

FAO continues to prioritize employee well-being, aiming to create an enabling healthy working environment. This year we have seen the successful conclusion of the Request for Proposal process for FAO’s medical insurance services covering the period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2029.

This initiative aims to enhance medical insurance coverage for FAO employees, well-positioning FAO to effectively manage future medical insurance costs through robust cost-containment measures, while offering enhanced coverage to staff. This achievement not only reduces anticipated medical insurance costs, but also redefined the insurance plans with focused preventive care and wellbeing initiatives for staff.

FAO's Shared Services Centre continues to support FAO’s paradigm shift toward becoming an inclusive, agile, and impactful organization. Sixteen years after its establishment, its value remains clear: to drive cost-effectiveness, reduce risk and provide client service solutions, allowing colleagues globally to focus on their core mission. 

Preventing and combating all forms of Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Authority continues to be a top priority, and efforts are ongoing to maintain a workplace culture that is inclusive and free from discrimination through the work of the Committee on Workplace Conduct and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Authority.

I am glad to report that, in response to the recommendation by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) to ensure that the Ombuds Office establishes key performance indicators that better quantify outcomes, I have agreed with the Ombudsperson to have a performance assessment model based on a number of relevant indicators.

The integrity and reputation of FAOs operations largely depends on how successfully the organization embeds an integrity driven culture. Raising awareness about integrity risks that can impact FAO, continues to be a priority with various missions having been undertaken by the Ethics Office to Decentralized Offices. Efforts this past year have included targeted training sessions for decentralized office teams on various topics including but not limited to conflict-of-interest risks, civility in the workplace preventing harassment and abuse of authority.

With my support, the Office of Evaluation conducted 24 evaluations between May and November this year. It strengthened its regional presence to better support field operations, and progressed in developing a “learning agenda” to identify priority questions that will guide the Office’s evidence-building efforts.

The evaluation of FAO’s Programme Priority Area (PPA) on One Health (Better Production 3) was undertaken. This evaluation reviewed the evolution and operationalization of FAO’s work in One Health from 2010 and 2023. It found that FAO plays a significant leadership role in this area and is recognized for its technical expertise in animal health, capacity-building interventions, and strong country-level presence.

FAO has expanded its strategic partnerships across agrifood systems by signing new Memoranda of Understanding with organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN-Habitat, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

These collaborations aim to align global trade policies with food security and the SDGs, enhance employment and social protection, address socio-economic impacts of crises and environmental challenges, and support vulnerable populations through specific, results-driven joint workplans.

I am happy to inform of the unanimous support by G20 Members, under the leadership of Brazil, to launch a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. The unanimous support is a sign of close cooperation within the G20 especially around food security agenda. The Global Alliance will be key to bringing knowledge and expertise and for showcasing successful examples from the regions to the parts of the world where is it needed the most. FAO is proud to play a substantial role in supporting the Global Alliance, by hosting its Support Mechanism in Rome, formulating and implementing its Policy Basket.

I would like to commend both the Government of Brazil for the G20 and the Government of Italy for the G7, for bringing food security back to the center of the global discussions.

Dear Friends,

World Food Day 2024 launched a year of action leading to FAO’s 80th Anniversary. Throughout the coming year, we will engage all partners through a series of events and activities that reflect our shared mission and vision, culminating on 16 October 2025 - FAO's 80th Birthday - when we will inaugurate the Food and Agriculture Museum & Network.

I would like to express our gratitude to our Host Country, Italy, for the generous support in facilitating all related projects.

I invite all of you to become an integral part of the FAO Museum & Network by contributing and sharing the stories, practices, food cultures and technologies from your countries. Together, we can elevate FAO’s visibility and centrality on a global scale, preparing for the future by designing longer and doing concrete based on FAO’s mandate.

I wish you a fruitful week ahead and look forward to the recommendations you will provide to the Council.

Thank you.