Geslain-Lanéelle from France is also the first candidate officially endorsed jointly by EU Member States for a leading position in the UN system. The election of the next FAO Director General will take place in June at the 41st FAO Conference.

This joint exchange of views with the Committee on Agriculture (AGRI) took place 17.00 - 18.30 in Paul-Henri Spaak 1A002.

A second joint joint meeting took place Tuesday, 19 February, 14.30 to 15.30 in room Altiero Spinelli 3G3 with the INTA committee where the Secretary General of UNCTAD presented the latest report of his organisation on Trade and Development entitled "Power, Platforms and The Free Trade Delusion".

The opening keynote speech was made by Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, who presented the Commission's Reflection Paper on sustainable development, adopted on 30 January. Professor Jeffrey Sachs, a leading sustainable development expert at Columbia University, set out his views on what the EU should do to implement the SDGs in Europe and globally. Members also had discussions with the authors of a study on SDG implementation mechanisms in Member States and with academics currently drafting the Global Sustainable Development Report for the UN. The hearing took place in preparation of the September 2019 UN summit to review the SDGs, and Parliament's strategic own-initiative report on SDG implementation that both committees are jointly preparing, a draft of which was presented right after the hearing.

The next meeting will take place 26 Feb to 27 Feb room tbc.