4 December 2015: The Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) welcomed the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and highlighted climate and nutrition as cross-cutting themes of the FAO’s work, at the close of its week-long meeting in Rome, Italy.

The 153rd session of the FAO Council took place from 30 November to 4 December 2015.

On the SDGs, the Council noted that FAO is “uniquely present” in almost all of the 17 Goals, and noted close alignment between the SDGs and the FAO Strategic Objectives. The Council anticipated a two-year transition phase as countries being to plan and mobilize means of implementation of the SDGs, and it noted the FAO’s involvement in the work of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), which is tasked with developing the global indicator framework for the 17 Goals and their 169 targets.

The Council noted the outcomes of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which highlighted the importance of the Blue Growth Initiative for achieving sustainability, and promoted awareness of the need for FAO to integrate sustainable livelihoods for fish workers in developing countries into its programme of work. The Blue Growth Initiative introduces sustainable approaches to reconcile economic growth and food security with the conservation of aquatic resources.

The Council also: considered other achievements and relevant processes, as outlined in the meeting document ‘Developments in Fora of Importance for the Mandate of FAO;’ expressed appreciation for the cost-saving approaches and adopted by FAO since 2012; and requested a comprehensive analysis of FAO’s network of offices by 2016. [FAO Press Release] [Meeting Documents] [Developments in Fora of Importance for the Mandate of FAO] [Blue Growth Initiative Website]