Carlos Watson

For several decades, China has been dedicated to helping developing countries achieve their development goals and to promoting their agricultural growth and food security, a senior United Nations official said.

Carlos Watson, representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in China, said that this year marks a very special year for the FAO — the 40th anniversary of the opening of its representation office in China.

"Since then, the country has made incredible achievements in development, with agricultural and rural development at the forefront," he said. "The FAO is extremely proud to have been able to accompany and support China in this journey. Looking forward, the FAO wishes to continue the journey with China in support of meeting Sustainable Development Goals and beyond."

Watson said that China is a strong advocate of South-South technical exchange and knowledge-sharing initiatives. It was one of the first countries to participate in the FAO's South-South and Triangular Cooperation initiatives and has been actively involved since.

In 1996, China launched a special project as part of the FAO's South-South Cooperation Program under the framework of the Special Program for Food Security. Since then, it has acted as a significant participant and supporter of the program.

"This is in line with the changing trend, from one-way development assistance from the FAO to China, to two-way collaboration in sharing China's experience with the world," Watson said.

In 2009, the Chinese government provided substantial funding for the establishment of an SSC Trust Fund, which "was a milestone in the development of the FAO-China partnership, raising cooperation to a new level". To date, a total of $130 million has been provided to support the FAO's efforts in alleviating poverty and increasing food security, he said.

In addition to its financial contributions, China has shared its considerable experience and practical agricultural technological and policy solutions with developing countries that are part of the SSC Program.

"Through knowledge-sharing and the exchange of expertise and technology between developing countries, the program aims to improve food security and nutrition, reduce rural poverty, engage rural women and youth, build resilience and develop local capacities to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Watson said.

Going forward, the SSC Program will seek to support China's vision of a shared future for humanity, driving lasting impact in achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and supporting recognition of China's contribution to the international development landscape.

"In the coming years, China is expected to further strengthen its cooperation partnership with the FAO and other developing countries, to foster synergies and complementarities between common priorities," he said.

Watson said that the world faces multiple overlapping crises from the COVID-19 pandemic, military conflict, rising prices, inflation, economic downturns and climate change, all of which are disrupting national and international food chains and causing an increase in poverty, hunger and inequality.

"International consensus has grown around the idea that transforming agri-food systems toward greater efficiency, resilience, inclusiveness and sustainability is an essential condition for realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

The Food Systems Summit convened in 2021 called for five tracks to be pursued, including ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all, shifting to sustainable consumption patterns, boosting nature-positive production, advancing equitable livelihoods and building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress.

They provide a road map for member countries to get back on track to meet the SDG 2 on Zero Hunger by 2030, he said.

He added that the global food supply chain needs to become diverse.

It can do so by doing two things: first, by enhancing the resilience of agri-food systems by providing multiple pathways for producing, sourcing and distributing food; and second, by creating an enabling environment that features improved risk management, inclusive governance, advanced technical applications and innovation that resilient and stable food supply chains require.

"It is also worth highlighting that the capacities of small-scale producers, businesses and vulnerable households should be enhanced as a fundamental element of resilient food supply chains," Watson said.

In the context of China, the FAO is working with national counterparts to implement the Country Programming Framework 2021-25, which includes two overarching objectives on agri-food systems transformation and agri-food systems resilience.

Within this framework, the FAO hopes to collaborate with China in support of its national development priorities and needs, and to help the country promote and participate in international development, he said.