In December 2019, Agnes Kalibata, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa(AGRA), was appointed as Special Envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit by the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Following this event, 176 civil society organizations and farmer groups from 83 countries sent an open letter to the UN Secretary General António Guterres to withdraw the appointment of Kalibata due to her close ties to corporate actors. This letter was followed up by a second statement signed by over 500 organizations, academics, and social movements, raising concerns about both this nomination, and about the overall approach of the Summit.
In response to the two civil society letters, twelve individuals representing several development banks, academic institutions, and the private sector, sent a letter to the UN Secretary General to support Kalibata’s nomination to this position. This letter emphasized Dr. Kalibata’s leadership skills, work ethic, capacity to listen, and other qualities.
AGRA Watch analyzed the signatories and found that out of 12 total signers, 11 had past or current connections to the Gates Foundation. In some instances, the organizations were directly funded by the Gates Foundation, and in others, the Gates Foundation funded specific programs in which the signers had played roles. One organization was funded by AGRA, which is funded by the Gates Foundation.