UN FAO Delegation Led by Director-General Dr Qu Dongyu embarks on Three-Day Visit to Nepal
A high-level delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has begun a three-day visit to the Federal Republic of Nepal, led by the FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu. Qu is joined by his Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Jong-Jin Kim, his Chief Economist, Maximo Torero, and his Deputy Director of Cabinet, Hua Yang.
During this official visit, the Director-General and the delegation will pay courtesy calls on the President of Nepal, Ram Chandra Paudel, and the Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) and also the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Beduram Bhusal, and the Minister of Forests and Environment, Birendra Prasad Mahato.
Nepal and FAO – more than seven decades of partnership in promoting food and nutrition security
As the first UN agency to commence operations in Nepal since 1951, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has enjoyed more than seven decades of effective collaboration and partnership with the Government of Nepal in promoting food and nutrition security, sustainable natural resources management, providing capacity building and policy support for sustainable agricultural and rural development. In Nepal, FAO has implemented more than 370 technical cooperation projects, totalling more than 320 million US dollars.
“This visit to Nepal by the FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu, is a landmark moment in celebrating and further strengthening the strong relationship and partnership between the Government of Nepal and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),” said Ken Shimizu, FAO Representative for Nepal and Bhutan.
During their Mission to Nepal, the FAO delegation will participate in the opening of the International Policy Dialogue on Future Smart Crops, together with the Vice President of Nepal, Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, and other dignitaries including the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Considering that Nepal is a mountain country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, climate smart crops can contribute greatly to catalysing climate resilient agri-food systems transformation.
The delegation will also visit the National Agriculture Research Council and its resource centres, including the National Gene Bank. The Government of Nepal has made significant efforts to conserve its genetic resources, with FAO providing technical support for strengthening of institutional capacities.
Also planned are visits to the Central Veterinary Laboratory under the Department of Livestock Services which plays an important role in timely detection of diseases of animal origin. FAO works closely with the Veterinary Laboratory and the Department of Livestock Services to strengthen animal health systems and promote evidence-based policies and practices to reduce risks of emergence of zoonotic diseases and to address the problem of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), through a One Health approach.
On the occasion of this DG visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FAO and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will be signed to leverage the expertise, knowledge networks, and resources of respective parties, with the objective to jointly bolster sustainable agricultural practices, enhance natural resource management, and fortify the resilience of mountain communities against pressing challenges like climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.
The delegation will also travel to Kavre, an adjoining district of Kathmandu, to interact with farmer groups and cooperatives to observe adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technologies, and to witness the launching of the “Tele Plant Doctor”, an artificial intelligence and machine learning based application which detects crops diseases, developed in conjunction with the Digital Village Initiative (DVI) being implemented in Nepal.