Ismail Serageldin and the members of the High Level Panel on Sustainable Development met together in Rome to assess the role of the Sustainable Development Department (SDD) within FAO and how it could be strengthened to enable FAO to better meet the challenges of promoting sustainable development in the policies and programs of its member states. Serageldin emphasized the importance to foster the environmental, social and economic well-being of rural people in a sustainable fashion. John Monyo, Assistant Director-General of the SDD, expressed deep appreciation to Serageldin for the time and effort he contributed towards leading the panel into producing a comprehensive and concise report on the future of SDD.