A White House review of U.S. participation in international organizations continues, with a key deadline in August. But recent signs have spurred hope for ongoing U.S. membership and engagement with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO officials say.
On Feb. 4, President Donald Trump launched a review of U.S. membership of international intergovernmental organizations, including the FAO and World Trade Organization. As part of that review, the State Department was expected to compile a report on whether continued U.S. membership of any organization is “contrary to the interests” and outline any opportunities for reform.
That report was due to the White House last month.
“It is our understanding that the report has been completed,” FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol told Agri-Pulse. Bechdol and another FAO official said they have not seen the report and do not know what recommendations it may contain.
The State Department declined to comment on whether the report had been submitted to the White House. A State official said only that U.S. participation in international organizations, conventions and treaties remains under review.
“U.S. support for UN agencies and bodies is contingent on whether participation is in the interest of the United States,” the official said.
The White House did not respond to questions from Agri-Pulse on whether State had met its deadline for the report and its contents.
The FAO has been working with the administration and lawmakers to support fact-finding efforts, Bechdol said. The agency completed a questionnaire sent by the Office of Management and Budget submitted in March. The survey sought to determine agencies’ alignment with the president’s “America First” policy goals, according to reporting at the time, as well as project risk management, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Bechdol said that FAO officials have also met with staff from lawmakers’ offices and congressional committees.
Beth Bechdol (FAO photo)But she added that the State Department has not approached agency officials for input on its report.
“This has truly been an internal process that the State Department has navigated,” Bechdol said.
Bechdol and the other FAO official granted anonymity to give their assessment of the current situation said that recent signs suggest the Trump administration intends to maintain robust engagement with the organization, however.
In March, Trump nominated Alabama businesswoman Lynda “Lindy” Blanchard to serve as the ambassador to the Rome-based FAO and World Food Program. The nomination, the FAO official said, indicates that there is some appetite to continue engaging with the respective UN agencies.
The administration also sent the Agriculture Department deputy undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, Michelle Bekkering, to lead the U.S. delegation to the FAO conference in July. While there, she met with Bechdol and Codex Secretary Sarah Cahill and expressed support for the role Codex Alimentarius plays in supporting global agricultural trade.
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The U.S. also endorsed the agency’s next biennium budget, which was unanimously approved.
“I will not say that that means that the [State Department] assessment is a guaranteed positive outcome for FAO. I’ve learned that over these last six months, circumstances are very fluid,” Bechdol said. But she said the comments from Bekkering and others in the delegation during the conference were “encouraging.”
The U.S. is also expected to send a significant delegation to upcoming Codex meetings slated for later this year, the FAO official said.
“My understanding is that there are a number of different players going,” the official said.
Public support for the FAO and its work has also strengthened the agency’s hand going into the review, Bechdol argued. A coalition of more than 50 agricultural groups wrote to senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in April to urge continued FAO membership, for example.
Lynda Blanchard (State Department photo)“Industry groups in agriculture have really rallied on behalf of the organization,” Bechdol said.
For its part, the FAO has responded to the State review by redoubling its efforts to demonstrate its value to U.S. agriculture, Bechdol said, and highlighting internal reform efforts that align with the administration’s priorities.
Some in the administration’s orbit, including Trump’s first-term ambassador to the FAO and WFP, Kip Tom, have argued that the FAO could do more with less funding and have pushed for the U.S. to trim its FAO contributions or divert them to beefing up its valuable Codex work.
“I'm a big believer in this organization, in trying to demonstrate how we do better with every dollar or every euro,” Bechdol said. She pointed to the UN Secretariat’s UN80 initiative, which includes an effort to identify cost-cutting and streamlining opportunities. The FAO also agreed to pursue an agency-specific streamlining effort at its July conference.
The effort, Bechdol said, would serve as a “diagnostic exercise” to improve efficiency.
“FAO internal governance, leadership, human resources, budgeting, all of these topics are really on the table,” she added.
If the State Department is looking, Bechdol said, it should see evidence of the administration’s cost-cutting and efficiency-boosting goals in the FAO’s programming.
“Ensuring that we have active U.S. engagement in FAO, that's going to be what ensures, with other members, that an organization like FAO does continue to evolve, does continue to get better, does continue to reform itself and serve farmers globally in a more effective way,” Bechdol said. She added that she is “cautiously optimistic that we are navigating this process as carefully and as smartly as we can, and look forward to the continued engagement with the U.S.”
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