Joint Meeting of the PC/FC Closing Remarks

Chair of the Joint Meeting, and Chair of the Finance Committee,

Chair of the Programme Committee,

Independent Chair of the Council,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for your constructive and forward-looking discussions this week.

The Joint Meeting, and the sessions of the Programme and Finance Committees, have once again demonstrated the strength of FAO’s governing bodies: bringing strategic programme oversight together with financial discipline.

Let me share some of the key outcomes I take away from the discussions:

First: A strong consensus on strategic focus.

You have endorsed the continued direction of the Four Betters as our guiding framework.

You have also emphasized that the 2026-2027 biennium is the moment we must accelerate impact.

You called for sharper prioritization of climate action within agrifood systems, digital transformation, and support to the most vulnerable countries – particularly Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Second: A clear call for continuity of more efficiency and value for money.

This week you had important discussions on the evolving financial landscape and what it means for the Organization.

The Finance Committee has pressed for continued cost discipline.

You have noted the inflationary pressures and the volatility of voluntary contributions.

You also noted the improved funding ratio of the Staff Liabilities, which now stands at over 80 percent.

The environment is changing. Funding remains significant, but it is becoming less flexible, less predictable and more constrained.

This is not simply a financial issue. It increasingly affects how we plan, prioritize and deliver.

Management recognizes that this environment requires continued prioritization.

We are adapting both our financing model and our operating model to ensure FAO remains effective, agile and focused on delivery.

Third: The need to continue strengthening efficiency, transparency and accountability.

This means using resources carefully, strengthening oversight, managing risks and maintaining a strong focus on results.

Reform is not a one-time effort. It is an ongoing responsibility.

We must continue improving how we work and ensuring that FAO remains financially sound, efficient and fit for purpose.

This is not about reducing ambition. It is about strengthening the Organization and ensuring that every resource delivers the greatest possible value.

Fourth: An emphasis on implementation capacity of FAO’s programme of work.

As we adapt and reform, we must also protect FAO’s core strengths.

We cannot lose sight of the functions that Members rely on and that define FAO’s value.

This includes the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP); our normative and standard-setting work through CODEX and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC); policy consultation, and our role in data, statistics and evidence that support countries and global decision-making, among others.

These functions help countries make decisions, support trade, strengthen agrifood systems, promote science and innovation, and respond to emerging challenges.

TCP remains an important example as we mark its 50th anniversary in 2026.

The principles behind TCP — responsive, flexible and country-driven support — remain as relevant today as when the programme was created.

We also heard clearly the request from Members this week for stronger evidence on TCP outcomes and impact, and you have flagged the need for stronger decentralized capacity for effective implementation on the ground.

And Fifth: The Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) must continue to protect FAO’s core technical work, while we continue to reduce administrative overheads, and ensure that every assessed contribution dollar is traceable to country-level results.

Food security and nutrition data are core global public goods central to FAO’s mandate, and your discussions focused on strengthening funding through a dedicated Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) data fund, TCPs, and partnerships with international financial institutions to support evidence-based policymaking, especially in vulnerable countries, were important.

The Programme Committee welcomed the evaluation of FAO’s support for small-scale producers, highlighting its valuable contribution to evidence-building and effective implementation within the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31.

While recognizing FAO’s strong focus on technical assistance and capacity development under BP4 (Better Production 4), Members identified opportunities to further enhance enabling systems, policy dialogue, and advocacy, including in social protection and access to finance, and greater inclusion such as for youth, vulnerable groups and Indigenous Peoples.

I welcome your strong support for the new Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD) as a country-driven, multi-partner mechanism to strengthen prevention and control, and the need to ensure complementarity with existing frameworks.

Dear Colleagues,

The world is more unpredictable than when we designed the Medium-Term Plan.

We need scalable new business models and innovative financing mechanisms to ensure rapid response to food shocks, price volatility, and threats to agrifood systems.

This biennium is not business as usual.

The gap between where agrifood systems are and where they need to be by 2030 is widening.

FAO has the technical depth, the country presence, and the trust of our Members to close that gap.

Our task ahead is clear: continue improving how we work, continue strengthening the Organization, and continue delivering on the core functions and services that Members expect from FAO.

Let us remind ourselves that crises are not just dangers, they are a disruption of the old routine – the old way of doing business. And where routine breaks down, innovation rushes in.

Together, we can translate vision into reality and ambition into action.

Thank you.