Readout of the Bilateral Meeting with His Majesty, King Mswati III of Eswatini

Rome - FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu today met with His Majesty King Mswati III to discuss issues of mutual interest and to strengthen cooperation between the organization and the Kingdom of Eswatini.

The Director General appreciated and thanked His Majesty the King for the continued support to the work of the Organization, and expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him during his visit to Eswatini in 2023.

The Director-General informed that it was foreseen to establish a FAO Country Office in Eswatini in 2025, to strengthen support for His Majesty’s leadership and commitment to move the country forward from low income to middle income status, to improve food security and curb malnutrition.

His Majesty the King thanked the Director-General and congratulated him on the successful World Food Forum and expressed his hope that the 2024 edition would produce tangible results especially with the world reeling from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. His Majesty further thanked the Director-General for the new country office to be established which would help boost efforts towards food security. In this regard, His Majesty noted that the goal to end hunger by FAO and other international partners would be the greatest achievement for mankind, but emphasized that the added impetus for change must come from cooperation among nations.

The pair agreed to cooperate and extensively work together to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry and also reiterated the importance of managing and preventing food loss and waste and increasing advocacy for agrifood systems transformation. They further recognized the importance of preserving natural resources, land management and soil conservation.