Bilateral Meeting with H.E. Mzwanele Nyhontso, Minister for Land Reform and Rural Development of the Republic of South Africa

Rome - The FAO Director General met with His Excellency Mzwanele Nyhontso, Minister for Land Reform and Rural Development of the Republic of South Africa on the margins of the 44th Session of the FAO Ministerial Conference at FAO headquarters. 

The Director-General welcomed the Minister and congratulated him on his recent appointment. He acknowledged and appreciated the longstanding, strategic relationship and strong cooperation between South Africa and FAO, and noted the importance of strong representation of the global south in FAO’s Ministerial Conference. 

The Minister thanked the Director-General and appreciated the contribution of FAO to South Africa's          agricultural development, noting in particular FAO’s support for South Africa’s G20 Presidency this year. The Minister further highlighted that South Africa could also benefit from FAO’s support in other multilateral fora such as BRICS, the CAADP, as well as other regional activities.  

The Minister also informed that South Africa had recently become a member of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture on 15 April 2025. He also mentioned that they looked forward to participating in the UN Food Systems Summit +4 in Ethiopia later this month, as it was an important platform for discussions on land tenure and its contribution to agrifood systems transformation. 

Finally, the Minister conveyed appreciation for the soil mapping platforms established by FAO, stating they would further assist Members in improving their soil and land policies, positively influence their plans of action and programmes, and transform the agriculture landscape across countries. 

The Minister assured the Director-General that he would work closely with his colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, to ensure alignment of programmes and streamlining of priorities in a holistic manner. 

The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s unconditional support for South Africa’s G20 Presidency as it was pivotal for all developing countries, as well as to the work of FAO. The Director-General further encouraged South Africa to align its priorities through a Country Programming Framework (CPF) to create a holistic approach for programme design and to accelerate momentum for implementation.

The pair agreed to continue strengthening the fruitful relations between South Africa and FAO, including in support of agrifood systems transformation.