CABI has convened a Member Country Consultation in The Hague for its Member Countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The consultation, held at the Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was an opportunity to review plans and progress under the global strategy CABI agreed with its Member Countries in 2022.
Delegates considered CABI’s plan to update and extend its current 2023-2025 Medium-Term Strategy to 2028. This followed an overview of CABI’s refreshed strategy delivered by CABI CEO Dr Daniel Elger.
Engaging with Member Countries
The consultation in The Hague followed a Regional Consultation of CABI’s Asia-Pacific Member Countries held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February as part of CABI’s efforts to engage and consult with its Member Countries on a frequent basis.
These meetings help CABI align its efforts towards national and regional needs, develop joint frameworks for activities with Members and set a path to ensure these are appropriately funded, resourced and translated into vital and effective programmes.
As part of the latest meeting, Dr Janny Vos, Partnerships Development Director, led a discussion about achieving more through partnerships, building upon CABI’s FAO Partnership Award 2024, given in recognition and reward of its effective partnerships, particularly with its Member Countries, that contribute to achieving sustainable development around the world.
“We were pleased to host this Member Country Consultation meeting, which provided an opportunity for a variety of stakeholders from the Netherlands and other countries to discuss and shape CABI’s work in our countries and on shared global concerns such as food security and pesticide risk reduction”, said Ms Chantal Wieckardt, Policy Officer, Inclusive Green Growth, DGIS, and CABI Liaison Officer for the Netherlands.
Addressing pesticide risks
As with other Member Consultation meetings in 2025, a special focus was placed on pesticide risk reduction and the use of safer-to-use and more environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides as part of integrated pest management (IPM) plans to control a range of crop pests and diseases.
The topic is highly relevant to health, livelihoods, trade and the environment. CABI already conducts significant work in this area and explored with delegates potential ways to expand its efforts at various levels, from the farm to national regulation and policy and international cooperation.
The sessions on pesticide risk reduction brought together eminent experts from several CABI Member Countries and partner organisations, featuring keynote addresses by Dr Mark Davis, Director for Agriculture and Regulatory Outreach, Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, The University of Edinburgh, and Professor Marcel Dicke, Emeritus Professor of Entomology, University of Wageningen.
Other Consultation Meetings of CABI Member Countries will take place during 2025. These include Africa from 11-13 June, taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, and The Americas from 16-18 September, to be held at Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
Additional information
Main image: Participants of CABI’s Member Country Consultation in The Hague.
Relevant stories
‘CABI wins FAO Partnership Award 2024 in recognition of efforts towards sustainable development.’
Related News & Blogs
