FAO has targeted three key sets of actions needed to transform agrifood systems, the Director-General tells SDG 16 Conference

Rome – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu outlined today three key sets of transformative actions FAO is working on to help make agrifood systems more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

“Actions are needed now,” the Director-General stressed while addressing the conference, SDG 16 as a compass for navigating intersecting crises hosted by the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in Rome. The high-level event included Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, IDLO Director-General Jan Beagle and World Food Programme Executive Director, Cindy McCain.

In particular, Qu noted that transforming global agrifood systems will require a strong focus on gender equality, as well as applying an inter-sectional approach to the challenges faced by the youth, Indigenous Peoples, people living in poverty, migrants, and pastoralist communities, among others.

The first set of actions identified by FAO concern “the need to promote the legal empowerment of the most vulnerable” those people and communities most at-risk of being left behind, he said. This includes the right to food as underpinned by the “right to produce and therefore to the underlying rights to land,” Qu explained.

“Second, we need to anticipate and look ahead,” the Director-General said, underscoring the guiding role of data and analytics, and how FAO is focused on developing and investing in new solutions to help guide Members. In this context he cited FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform and a forthcoming roadmap publication on achieving SDG2.

Thirdly, we need “effective and inclusive people-centred governance” Qu said, noting how the transformation of global agrifood systems is a collective effort including producers, consumers, traders and financers.

“To achieve this better and improved governance, we need innovative structure. That is why FAO has established the World Food Forum (WFF), held annually in mid-October since 2021,” and has contributed to empowering youth and women in science and innovation, as well as attracting investment in rural areas that face numerous challenges.

Bringing together knowledge and investment opportunities in an inclusive way is facilitated by the FAO Hand-in-Hand initiative while the Science and Innovation Forum and the Young Scientists Group at the World Food Forum has empowered youth-led movement for transforming agrifood systems and to accelerate climate actions, Qu noted.

But the Director-General also stressed that FAO actions are much broader and encompass support for projects and programs designed to provide technical and leadership skills to the global youth and strengthen advocacy of women-led civil society organizations.

“We are living in challenging times, but with the right set of analysis and institutions, I am confident that we can achieve agrifood systems transformation,” he said concluding with: “Confidence breeds hope, and hope breeds peace. This is how SDG16 is reachable!”