FAO Director-General meets with Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition

On 12 February 2020, Food Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Director General Qu Dongyu addressed the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition in a meeting held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This was the first time the FAO Director-General attended a meeting of the Group since assuming his duties in August 2019. The meeting kicked off the activities of the Group of Friends for 2020 with a theme focused on FAO’s vision and priorities for the Agenda 2030.

The Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition is chaired by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations (UN) whose Ambassador Mariangela Zappia opened the meeting remarking on the importance of 2020 as “a year for raising ambition on nutritional-related environmental issues, such as climate change impact on food systems and biodiversity”.

“Agriculture is not a single sector, but a nexus of complex issues,” stressed Qu Dongyu. “If we want to modernize agriculture and achieve Zero Hunger, we need to mobilize now and make actionable commitments, using the momentum ushered in by the Hand-in-Hand initiative and the upcoming 2021 Food Systems Summit.” The FAO Director-General also emphasized the importance of ensuring equal participation opportunities for smallholder farmers, women and youth in the global transformation of food systems.

Ama Brandford-Arthur, Senior Partnership Officer of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) affirmed that “all three Rome-based agencies -IFAD, FAO and the World Food Programme- are committed to continue our collaboration leveraging advances in science and technology to promote healthy nutrition and climate resilience.

The Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition numbers over 40 members that meet throughout the year.