The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol has met with Her Excellency Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to discuss the continuing collaboration between FAO and national authorities to address food insecurity and build resilience.

The meeting was a cornerstone of the six-day itinerary for the high-level FAO delegation that also includes FAO Director of Emergencies and Resilience Rein Paulsen and FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel. Their aim is to strengthen partnerships and spotlight FAO’s strategies to address urgent needs in the country.

Prime Minister Suminwa Tuluka, the first woman to hold the position in DRC, expressed her appreciation at FAO’s strong partnership and assured FAO of the Government’s continued support and availability to work towards common goals. DDG Bechdol provided updates on FAO’s continuing work to combat food insecurity and enhance resilience among the most vulnerable populations.

Also attending the meeting were H.E. Grégoire Mutshail Mutomb, the State Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, and representatives from North and South Kivu.

The meeting comes amid a context of persistent hunger driven largely by conflict. Around 25 million people—nearly a quarter of the population—are facing hunger. The latest food security analysis, released in October, projects that up to 25.6 million people will experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phases 3+) by December 2024, with 3.1 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Most sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces, are classified as IPC Phase 4. 

Building resilience against hunger in DRC

During the meeting, Deputy Director-General Bechdol emphasized FAO’s advocacy for a comprehensive humanitarian response, including scaling up livelihood activities in IDP sites to complement life-saving food aid. By investing in agricultural livelihoods, dependency on humanitarian aid is reduced and long-term resilience is supported.

As part of the mission, Bechdol visited the Rusayo 2 IDP Camp in Goma, North Kivu, where over 30,000 displaced people live in overcrowded conditions. Ongoing FAO projects supporting displaced households include providing families with micro-gardening kits, livestock support, and seeds and tools so they can produce their own food.

With 70 percent of the population in DRC relying on farming, herding, and fishing for their livelihoods, agriculture is vital.  FAO’s resilience programmes in the DRC are implemented in partnership with other UN organizations and development partners including the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Germany, Norway and Sweden. Together, they aim to rebuild the livelihoods of vulnerable families, especially those affected by conflict in the eastern regions.

Bechdol’s visit underscores FAO’s commitment to addressing the root causes of food insecurity through targeted interventions and international collaboration.