Ceremonies and special side events were held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of FAO country representations as part of the recently concluded FAO Regional Conferences for Latin America and the Caribbean (Montego Bay, Jamaica) and Africa (Khartoum, Sudan). FAO’s first country representation was established in 1977, followed by 54 more in the ensuing three-year period. This is why the Organization is undertaking a rolling 40th anniversary initiative between 2017 and 2019. Falling at midpoint in the celebrations, the Regional Conferences are an important opportunity for highlighting past achievements made through country-level cooperation. Perhaps more importantly, they are a timely occasion to renew the commitment of FAO, governments and partners to take concerted action for delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Delegates welcomed the 40th anniversary initiative as a chance to acknowledge the Organization’s long-term presence in the field while assuring flexibility, efficiency and a high level of technical capacity at the country level. At the Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, a video showcased the legacy of FAO’s past and current cooperation with the region’s 15 country offices that are marking 40 years. And the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt sent special greetings to the delegates, with the words: “Healthy food system, healthy diet, and healthy life. Run with that”. The Director-General highlighted the most important transformations catalyzed by FAO in the region, and Myrna Cunningham, former Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, delivered a personal testimony. At the Regional Conference for Africa, the anniversary was the subject of a side event within the ministerial roundtable. Delegates stressed that additional efforts - aligned with the Malabo Declaration - are required to win the battle against hunger and poverty, especially in the context of conflict, migration and natural disasters, in particular droughts. This will require a more competitive, productive and diversified agriculture sector that generates employment, particularly for youth. The importance of empowering women and providing smallholders with the necessary tools, inputs and access to information was also noted by delegates. Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture affirmed that malnutrition continues to be a public health issue, hence the importance of increasing the availability of and access to healthy and nutritious local products, including pulses. Ethiopia highlighted the strong dependence of rural areas on agriculture and the need to transform the sector into a driver of the economy, also with a view to increasing incomes. Senegal highlighted its successful National Programme for Livestock Development, while FAO Goodwill Ambassador Kanayo Nwanze from Nigeria mentioned the need to modernize infrastructure and use natural resources sustainably. Visit 40th anniversary Regional Offices webpages: Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Near East and North Africa. Country celebrationsLocal anniversary celebrations to date have shown strong government interest, highlighting strategic partnerships, including close collaboration with Rome-based and other UN agencies. These relationships are integral to FAO’s decentralization strategy and essential for supporting member countries’ achievement of Agenda 2030, particularly in areas concerning Zero Hunger.Many activities commemorating the 40 year milestone have been arranged in both regions, sometimes linking them with other major occasions such as World Food Day and Director-General’s official country visits. FAO Niger, for example, published a book for the occasion, while FAO-Congo organized a march against hunger and a forum on agricultural entrepreneurship at a local university. FAO-Tanzania held a round table discussion on climate change and produced short videos for prime-time TV channels, as well as a short documentary on the impact of FAO’s work in Tanzania. And this past September, the Director-General met Tanzania’s President John Magufuli to mark 40 years of FAO presence in the country. FAO-Kenya, organized gardens in various schools and a presentation of its publication “2016 in Review”. In addition, the Representation produced a video on FAO’s work in Kenya with messages from former FAO Representatives. In Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO-Colombia held a ceremony in which the Organization was distinguished by the House of Representatives with the Simón Bolívar Order of Democracy in recognition of its contribution to the fight against hunger and poverty. FAO-Ecuador organized an open-air fair and a race with participation of the First Lady and various ministers, as well as a solemn assembly inaugurating a plaque in recognition of the country's commitment to food security. FAO-El Salvador convened a special event in presence of the Minister of Agriculture who delivered a keynote speech on FAO’s crucial role in boosting the country’s economy. FAO-Mexico produced a special video and a brochure as part of last year’s World Food Day. This also coincided with the signature of an agreement to upgrade the FAO country office to a Partnership and Liaison Office, the first of this kind in Latin America. Former FAO Representative in Mexico Fernando Soto Baquero wrote an article on this: la opinión de @sotobaquero en @Univ_Opinion #40AñosUNFAOmx. Establishment of FAO RepresentationsIn 1977, FAO made a far-reaching decision to start opening representations at the country level to bring its technical assistance closer to governments and the people who needed it most. Between 1977 and 1979, 21 country representations were established in Africa: Tanzania, Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Kenya, Chad, Ghana, Nigeria, Niger and Benin in 1977; Gambia, Congo DR, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Zambia and Burkina Faso in 1977; and Uganda, Central African Republic, Mozambique and Mali in 1979. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 15 representations are marking four decades of FAO’s long-term presence at the country level: Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, and Ecuador signed the agreement with FAO in 1977; Guyana, Chile, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Uruguay, Bolivia, Barbados and Honduras in 1978; and Brazil and Dominican Republic in 1979. The series of 40th anniversary celebrations will continue with the upcoming Regional Conferences for Asia and the Pacific (30 April-4 May 2018, Fiji), the Near East (7-11 May, Rome), Europe (14-18 May 2018, Voronezh, Russian Federation) and will culminate at the global level on the occasion of the 41st session of the FAO Conference in 2019.

A special session was held as part of FAO Regional Conference for Africa (Khartoum, Sudan) to commemorate the 40th anniversary of FAO country representations. The aim was to discuss potential opportunities for domesticating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in alignment with the Malabo Declaration framework as part of a wider shift to accelerate inclusive agricultural growth in the region. Participants welcomed the 40th anniversary initiative as an opportunity to renew the Organization’s commitment to its long-term presence in the field while assuring flexibility, efficiency and a high level of technical capacity at country level. FAO’s effective and close presence to its members was noted and appreciated by the delegates throughout the whole conference. It was also stressed that additional efforts are needed to win the battle against hunger and poverty in contexts of conflict, migration and natural disasters, especially those caused by drought conditions, which are hitting the continent harshly. This will require a more competitive, productive and diversified agriculture sector that generates employment, particularly for youth. The importance of empowering women and providing smallholders with the necessary tools, inputs and access to information was also noted by delegates. Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture affirmed that malnutrition continues to be a public health issue, hence the importance of increasing the availability of and access to healthy and nutritious local products, including pulses. Ethiopia highlighted the strong dependence of rural areas on agriculture and the need to transform the sector into a driver of the economy, also with a view to increasing incomes. Senegal highlighted its successful National Programme for Livestock Development, while FAO Goodwill Ambassador Kanayo Nwanze from Nigeria mentioned the need to modernize infrastructure and use natural resources sustainably. Between 2017 and 2019, 21 FAO country representations in the Africa region are celebrating their 40th anniversaries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. Local anniversary celebrations to date have shown strong Government interest, highlighting strategic partnerships, including close collaboration with Rome-based and other UN agencies, to be integral to FAO’s decentralization strategy and essential for supporting African member countries’ achievement of the SDGs, particularly in areas concerning Zero Hunger. Many country offices in Africa involved in the celebrations have produced materials and organized outreach activities, sometimes linking them with other major occasions such as World Food Day and Director-General’s official country visits. FAO Niger, for example, published a book for the occasion, while FAO-Congo organized a march against hunger and a forum on agricultural entrepreneurship at a local university. FAO-Tanzania held a round table discussion on climate change and produced short videos for prime-time TV channels, as well as a short documentary on the impact of FAO’s work in Tanzania. And this past September, FAO Director-General met Tanzania’s President John Magufuli to mark 40 years of FAO presence in the country. FAO-Kenya, organized gardens in various schools and a workshop on its 2016 Annual Report. In addition, the Representation produced a video on FAO’s work in Kenya with messages from former FAO Representatives. The theme of this year’s FAO Regional Conference for Africa was “Sustainable development of agriculture and food systems in Africa: improving the means of production and the creation of decent and attractive employment for youth”, aiming to examine the state of food and agriculture in Africa, as well as the future prospects and emerging issues within the sector. The Conference aimed to chart a new path for agricultural development, food and nutrition security on the continent for the next two years. It discussed in particular the impact of climate change and the need to build resilience to address extreme vulnerability of Africa’s agriculture and rural livelihoods.

FAO-Mexico has developed and produced communication products for the occasion, including a special 40th anniversary video, and a brochure in Spanish which was distributed during this year’s World Food Day’s celebrations. The 40th anniversary activities in the country also coincided with the signature of an agreement to upgrade the existing FAO country office in Mexico to a Partnership and Liaison Office, the first of this kind in Latin America. Read Fernando Soto Baquero (Former FAO Representative in Mexico) article, in El Universal: la opinión de @sotobaquero en @Univ_Opinion #40AñosUNFAOmx.

FAO-Colombia convened a special 40th anniversary ceremony during which FAO was distinguished by the House of Representatives with the Simón Bolívar Order of Democracy in recognition of its contribution to the fight against hunger and work in favour of rural development in the country in recent decades. Several statements were delivered by high level representatives, including the Chamber Representative, who is part of the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger. Another 40th anniversary event took place later in November during which a new FAO office was opened and staff were awarded for their performance along the years. 

FAO-Congo aligned its 40th anniversary celebrations with this year’s World Food Day, organizing several activities such as an official ceremony, a march against hunger, an exhibition of agricultural products, and a forum on agricultural entrepreneurship at the University. The Office also developed and produced outreach and visibility materials for the occasion such as a special 40th anniversary brochure, banners and gadgets, including t-shirts and caps.

FAO-El Salvador, together with its main partners in the country, convened a special event to celebrate the establishment of the FAO Representation in 1977. The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock delivered a key note speech highlighting the crucial role played by FAO in the country to boost the agricultural sector. The FAO Representative stressed that FAO has made valuable contributions in the last decades, focusing its efforts on the promotion of sustainable agriculture, rural development, adaptation to climate change and strengthening of public policies to guarantee food security and nutrition. The event was attended by local and national authorities, which support FAO’s work in the country.

FAO-Bangladesh convened a joint Rome-based Agencies’ seminar, coinciding with an IFAD Executive Board visit to the country in November 2017. Activities included a successful social media campaign sharing statements by beneficiaries and stakeholders. In his intervention at the high-level anniversary side-event held during the Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (April 2018, Fiji), Bangladesh’s Minister of Food H.E. Qamrul Islam underlined FAO’s four decades of partnership, working with the Government during the country’s transition from food-aid dependency to self-sufficiency in rice. He further noted the partnership’s commendable contributions to institutional transformation and knowledge transfer, leading to improved sustainable agricultural production as well as policies and interventions including but not limited to agro-ecological zoning, soil resource development and crisis management. Adjusting to SDG 2030 goals and targets, H.E. Qamrul Islam noted that the Ministry of Food is about to formulate a comprehensive food and nutrition security policy in close collaboration with FAO.

FAO-Kenya has been very active in celebrating its 40th anniversary. Communication materials include a brochure, a storybook and a report on “2016 in review”. A full article was published in the Daily Nation and a video with statements from former and current FAORs was shown at a high-level but inclusive event, which brought together government officials, UN and other partners, farmers and the media. A tree planting ceremony as well as a photo exhibition also took place. Read more and visit @FAOKenya Twitter.

FAO-Philippines merged its 40th anniversary celebrations with a year-end development partners forum in Makati. The guest of honour was the Philippines Vice President, who delivered a keynote speech on rural development, food security and nutrition. The event successfully cultivated a deeper understanding of the impact of FAO’s work and cooperation with partners in the country through the decades. A special brochure and a historical video featuring images from archives was produced to showcase FAO’s country-level work. The @FAOPhilippines Twitter page was also very active sharing key messages and photos.