Figure: Pollination of sunflowers in a greenhouse was a part of one FAO forestry project to improve urban environments. © FAO/Rosetta Messori

FAO Review

Over the past 40 months, the international visibility and reputation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has continued to increase, amid major global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other protracted conflicts, economic downturns, and the intensifying climate crisis.

FAO has given priority to providing its expertise, including knowledge products, tools and policy recommendations, such as the Food Price Index, Briefing Notes and Policy Proposals, which have been in high demand not only by Members, but also by the United Nations (UN) Secretariat in New York and other specialized agencies.

The COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme that enables donors to leverage FAO’s convening power, real-time data, early warning systems and technical expertise to provide direct assistance where and when it is needed most, is an additional example of FAO’s global support.

This year alone, the Director-General QU Dongyu has engaged in approximately 60 high-level events at the United Nations in New York, including at the Security Council, and in Member State processes, all the while making the outcomes of these meetings available to all on a dedicated webpage, showing that transparency is a cornerstone of the Organization.

Offering FAO’s knowledge and solutions in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Organization has also participated centrally in international fora such as the G20 and G7, monitoring global agrifood market developments, assessing their impacts on food security and providing policy advice.

In further recognition FAO’s central role for agrifood systems transformation, the UN Secretary General requested FAO to host the UN Food Systems follow-up Coordination Hub, on behalf of the UN system, which is now fully operational and implementation at country level is underway. FAO is additionally co-leading the food workstream under the Global Crisis Response Group initiated by the Secretary General.  

“These last years have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that FAO’s role and relevance in facing today’s challenges is increasingly recognized and valued by Members and beyond,” says FAO Chief Economist, Máximo Torero Cullen. 

See more: https://www.fao.org/director-general/news/2022/greater-visibility-and-increasedtransparency/en/