Rome – Invited by the Mongolian Government to pay an official visit, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, concluded a three-day official visit to Mongolia on 12 July 2024, where he participated in the opening ceremony of the Naadam Festival together with the President of Mongolia, H.E. Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and the King of Bhutan, HRH Jigme Wangchuck.
The FAO Director-General also met with the Prime Minister of Mongolia, H.E. Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erde, the Chief of Staff of the President of Mongolia and former Chairman of the State Great Hural, Gombojavyn Zandanshata, the Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Batmunkh Battsetseg, the newly appointed Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, H.E. Enkhbayar Jadamba, as well as other high-level officials.
Qu also had the opportunity to pay a visit at the Greenhouse Farming facility and a herder’s household in the rural area to engage with people in the frontline of the country’s crop and animal production sectors.
The FAO Director-General commended Mongolia’s achievements in the area of food security, including staple food self-sufficiency and improved nutrition management. He also commended Mongolia for its leadership in promoting the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, together with FAO, especially grasslands, which resulted in the establishment in the proclamation of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, which is crucial in addressing global biodiversity, climate change and socio-economic issues.
The FAO Director-General further reconfirmed FAO’s firm support to Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) through multilateral cooperation and active engagement in the upcoming LLDCs gatherings to be held in Uzbekistan and Botswana.
He also praised the country’s initiatives to foster innovation and digitalization in the agricultural sector, such as the e-Mongolia platform.
The FAO Director-General and the Mongolian officials also exchanged views on how to support the livestock sector, which is a key source of income, food, and livelihoods for millions of Mongolians, and a major contributor to the country’s economy and culture. Qu highlighted FAO’s assistance to Mongolia in food safety by improving animal health and welfare, preventing and controlling transboundary animal diseases, and promoting sustainable pasture management and animal production.
By convening a Dialogue of Women Leaders in Agrifood Systems, the FAO Director-General called for scaling up participation and empowerment of women and youth in agriculture, livestock and value chain, and committing FAO’s ongoing and strong support to this process.
The Director-General and the Mongolian authorities also discussed ways to enhance cooperation on tackling desertification, and sand and dust storms.
As part of his visit, Qu also travelled to the Tuv Province where he visited a local greenhouse vegetable-growing project led by Amaraa, and to a herder’s house headed by Baatartsogt Byamba and Oyunbileg Khuyagbaatar where he was able to express his respect for the Mongolian nomadic tradition of hospitality. The Director-General also paid a visit to the FAO Country Office in Mongolia where he commended the staff for their dedication and professionalism in delivering on FAO’s mandate in the country, and conveyed his best wishes for the Naadam.
Visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)
In a historic visit, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from 13 to 16 July 2024. The visit aimed to reactivate and strengthen the partnership between FAO and DPRK in addressing food security and nutrition challenges in the wake of the post COVID-19 pandemic, as well as enhancing the resilience and sustainability of agrifood systems in the country.
The Director-General commended the great achievement made by DPRK people in agriculture development, food security, and the Pyongyang city under the leadership of H.E. Kim Jong-un, and expressed his appreciation for being received by DPRK as the first UN specialized agency principal to allow visiting since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
Qu expressed gratitude for the cooperation and support of the Government of the DPRK to FAO’s work in the country, and reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to assist the country in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 2 on ending hunger, through sustainable agrifood systems transformation with the Four Betters at the center: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind. He also praised the efforts of the Government and the people of DPRK in coping with the multiple challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, climate change and sanctions.
The FAO Director-General highlighted the importance of innovation, digitalization and green development in transforming the agricultural sector and enhancing its productivity, efficiency and resilience, and, more importantly, to improve animal products by focusing on increasing poultry products, aquatic foods and high feed efficiency products.
Qu emphasized FAO’s readiness to provide more technical expertise and global experience in aforementioned areas, and encouraged the Government to explore new opportunities for collaboration and resource mobilization, together with FAO, for the vulnerable people most in need.
During his visit, the FAO Director-General visited the Kangdong Greenhouse Complex and the Kangdong Central Institute for Vegetables, where he witnessed the sound achievements made by the DPRK people in vegetable production with modern facilities. He also visited the FAO-sponsored Pyongchon Fish Farm project.
Qu’s visit was the first by a UN principal to the DPRK since 2019, and marked a milestone in the relationship between FAO and the DPRK. It demonstrated the mutual trust and respect between the two sides, and opened new avenues for engagement, cooperation and dialogue in the future.