7 July 2017, Rome – FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva met with Cuba’s Vice-minister for Agriculture, Julio Andres García Perez, today for discussions on Cuba’s role in supporting food security in other Caribbean and African countries affected by climate change and other challenges.
Cuba’s support is channelled through FAO’s South-South Cooperation framework.
“Human capital and the techniques we’ve developed in our country can make a big contribution to other countries in the world seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the minister said.
“We have had the opportunity to participate in 79 initiatives in different countries, and we’ve seen governments mobilize resources and provide support for major food themes, including climate change, support for rural communities, malnutrition and obesity, as well as the roles of women, youth and biodiversity,” he added. “I believe we all emerge strengthened when we implement such policies, which are integral to the SDGs and shared by FAO.”
Cuba’s participation in FAO Conference
“I think every country must show more responsibility to its own people when it comes to improving living conditions and food security and nutrition,” the minister said.
FAO’s main priorities for the next two years – approved by the Conference – include promotion of sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation and adaptation, poverty reduction, water scarcity initiatives, migration and support for the livelihoods of rural people affected by conflicts, as well as ongoing work on nutrition, fishing, Forestry and antimicrobial resistance.
“Migration is politically charged in many places today, but elsewhere it’s a problem of access to food and institutions that are not inclusive,” the Minister said. “FAO is recommending more action by governments, and Cuba is highly committed.”
