FAO Director-General Calls For More Women To Lead as FAO’s Women’s Committee Enters New Chapter

03 September 2026, Rome: FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today called for greater opportunities for women to grow and lead across the Organization at an event marking the next chapter of the FAO Women’s Committee.

“The FAO of 2026 is not the FAO of 2019. Our world has changed, our Organization has changed, and the expectations and aspirations of our colleagues, and the farmers and consumers of the world, have changed. The FAO Women’s Committee must evolve as well,” the Director-General stressed in his opening remarks.  

Qu, who took office at the helm of FAO in 2019, established the Women’s Committee, along with a Youth Committee, as part of his efforts to bring about a renaissance at FAO.

Looking ahead, he welcomed Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol’s leadership as Chair of the Women’s Committee and outlined priorities for its next phase: recognizing excellence across FAO, expanding opportunities for professional growth and leadership development, connecting women across FAO’s global network, and creating more space for colleagues to contribute their ideas.

“The leadership is already here. Our responsibility is to recognize it, support it and create opportunities for even more women to grow and lead,” the Director-General added.

Women’s role in transforming agrifood systems

He also linked the Committee’s renewed vision to FAO’s broader efforts to recognize women’s contributions to agrifood systems, including the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and the FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems initiative, which will recognize outstanding women from around the world at the World Food Forum in October this year for their leadership, expertise and innovation in transforming agrifood systems.

In 2019, FAO became the first UN agency to establish a Women’s Committee of this kind. That vision extended beyond modernizing the Organization to recognizing talent, creating opportunities and enabling colleagues to contribute and lead.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee became a source of connection and support for all colleagues. Since then, it has continued to promote mentoring and professional development, create opportunities for dialogue on leadership and career development, and bring attention to issues affecting women across the Organization.

“Today is not simply about looking back at what has been achieved. It is about creating greater opportunities for the women who will lead FAO tomorrow,” he concluded.

Joining the event virtually as a special guest, Coumba Dieng Sow, UN Resident Coordinator in Togo, drew on her previous experience at FAO – Representative in Rwanda and Djibouti, Emergency and Resilience Coordinator for West Africa and the Sahel. She highlighted the progress made by the Women’s Committee and encouraged women across the Organization to continue pursuing leadership opportunities.

The event concluded on a celebratory note with a cultural performance, before the Director-General and Deputy Director-General Bechdol joined participants in the newly renovated FAO Garden for a commemorative planting ceremony. There, they planted a peony and unveiled a commemorative plaque, which together will serve as a symbol of women’s leadership and contributions to FAO, marking the beginning of the next chapter of the Women’s Committee.

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