Director-General Participates In The High-level Panel Event Of The Global Development Initiative

04 December 2024, Rome: FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today praised the Global Development Initiative (GDI), a platform which lends impetus to accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through exchange and knowledge sharing, strengthened collaboration and commitment to results-oriented actions.

“We are facing complex development challenges around the world that are impacting food availability, food accessibility and food affordability, thereby impacting all the SDGS,” the FAO Director-General said in his opening remarks at Promoting Sustainable Transformation of Agrifood Systems through GDI to accelerate the SDGs event which took place on the sidelines of the 176th session of FAO Council. “These global challenges go beyond borders and require even stronger global solidarity and collaboration,” he added.

The GDI focuses on key areas that align closely with the Sustainable Development Goals, such as no poverty and zero hunger. So far, more than 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of GDI which was established in 2022, after Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Initiative at the General Debate of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

Also giving opening remarks alongside the Director-General were Ambassador Zhang Lubiao, Permanent Representative of China to FAO; Jia Guide, Ambassador of China to Italy; Igor L. Golubovskiy, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to FAO; Erma Rheindrayani, Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia to FAO and senior officials from the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme. Moderating the event was Mei Hongyong, Deputy Permanent Representative of China.

“FAO welcomes all initiatives from Members, by Members and for Members that can contribute to FAO’s mandate, such as the GDI today, as well as others such as the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) launched by the United States, and the Food for Gaza initiative by the Italian Government,” Qu noted.

The Director-General also highlighted the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, Digital Villages Initiative, Green Cities Initiative and FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation Programme which are also examples of flagship initiatives accelerating the transformation of agrifood systems, in line with FAO’s Four Betters.

The South-South and Triangular Cooperation, for example, identified unique solutions to solve common development problems, including in Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries, and strengthened human resources, technical skills and institutional capacities in countries that needed it most. Qu emphasized the tangible impacts of this Programme in agriculture development and poverty reduction.

The GDI will also allow for countries under the GDI framework and various institutions to share strategies, enhance collaboration and identify opportunities in the food and agriculture sector and find longer-term solutions to address food insecurity in all parts of the world.

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