FAO 25/10/2023

Des Moines/Rome – “Harnessing change is a call to move from action to evolution, and youth have a paramount role as the most important agents of change,” QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said Tuesday in his address at the  Borlaug International Dialogue of the World Food Prize 2023 opening ceremony in Iowa.

The annual prize, in honor of Norman Borlaug, considered one of the fathers of the Green Revolution that lifted hundreds of millions of people out of hunger thanks to his work on higher-yielding wheat varieties, was awarded this year to Heidi Kühn.

The Director-General noted how her work, focused on revitalizing farmland and livelihoods after devastating conflicts, demonstrates the key role of agriculture in humanitarian response.

“The principles that underline Dr Borlaug’s luminary work in the field of food and agriculture were the same that guided world leaders to establish the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 80 years ago,” Qu said, noting that like Borlaug he himself was the son of a farmer and has spent his career driven by the realization that agriculture can save the world by feeding people and lifting them out of poverty.

“We are here to reaffirm our commitment to work together to bring food and agricultural solutions to the scale needed to increase the quality, quantity, availability, affordability, and accessibility of food for all,” the Director-General said at the event, held in the city of Des Moines.

Today, FAO is well positioned “to better serve its Members, and above all the farmers of the world,” he said, noting that recent reforms have made the UN specialized agency more agile, more efficient and more fit-for-purpose, providing professional and scientific expertise to all.

“A new thinking at FAO has led us to a different path. We continue to leverage our collective expertise to help vulnerable populations and stand united to achieve real progress,” he said. “Our focus is to attain zero hunger, and to ensure that the world’s farmers are well supported, and rural areas are made more attractive for the younger generations.”

See https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/fao-director-general-addresses-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-borlaug-international-dialogue-of-the-world-food-prize-2023-in-iowa/en