G77 & China Plenary Meeting of the 27 February 2017: The FAO DG, Mr. Graziano da Silva, called the attention on three priorities
The new Chairmanship invited Mr. Graziano da Silva, FAO Director General, who sketched out three main issues, which would request additional support and personal commitments as a contribution for the achievement of SDGs and for ending hunger and malnutrition: World Census of Agriculture in 2020, Program and Working Budget 2018-2019 and Risk assessment.
The first plenary meeting of the G77 & China under the new assumed Chairmanship of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with H.E. Elias Eljuri Abraham, was held on 27 of February 2017 in the Red Room at FAO HQ, who opened the plenary with warmly remarks for the members and outlined the agenda items of the session.
The Director-General of FAO, Mr. Graziano da Silva, firstly expressed his appreciation for having been invited to speak wishing also the best to the new Chairperson, then pointed out new main issues to focus their efforts, counting on the members of the Group.
Lands and rural areas form most part of developing countries in which the agriculture and the livestock products placed, symbolize the only livelihood for millions of people. In this respect, he called members to a wide participation and adhesion at the World Census of Agriculture 2020, which prepared by receiving detailed data of governments would help in building up solutions, defining actions and projects to be undertaken and implemented by FAO, mentioning, among other things, environmental issues and new agreement put in place on the Climate Change.
An emphasis was given to the Program and Working Budget 2018-219 expressing FAO view on subjects, which in itself would involve a very broad spectrum of activities like AMR, Climate Change, and Statistic. The PWB for the next biennium will allow keeping the same budget level for the reallocation of projects including about 14% for the Technical Cooperation Program that will be presented in a list of areas that FAO will be covering for that biennium, while for the Risk Assessment small things would be corrected in the near future.
Before closing the Plenary, the members expressed their deepest thanks for the issues addressed by the Director General and his great work conducted in this crucial moment, while the world is facing new challenges and events.
G77 & China Members greatly welcomed and appreciated the guidelines illustrated for a better monitoring at local, regional and national level to combine data collected with results.