News archive 2019

Political will is the fundamental and necessary ingredient to eradicate hunger and all forms of malnutrition - including overweight and obesity - in Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today.

Stepped up and concerted actions are needed in Africa if the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger and the more ambitious Malabo hunger target are to be met, Member Countries were told during an event on the sidelines of the 41st Session of the FAO Conference.

A new spirit of consensus, the embracing of partnerships and a new cross-disciplinary teamwork approach to tackling food security challenges are now hallmarks of how the Food and Organization operates, Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said at the opening of the UN agency’s biennial conference.

Qu Dongyu of China was elected Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today. Qu Dongyu received a total of 108 votes out of 191 cast, constituting a majority in the first round.

Considering the challenges of migration, the scourge of hunger and malnutrition, and the lack of investment in rural development, there is an immediate need to “change the way we do business”, scale up hunger-ending initiatives, and “disrupt the agricultural sector as whole”. This was Graça Machel’s message to participants at the opening of the 41st Session of the FAO Conference on the challenges and opportunities of reaching Zero Hunger.

The Tripartite – a joint effort by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), launched the AMR Multi Partner Trust, which is being supported with an initial $5 million from the Government of the Netherlands.

FAO today launched a new Corporate Framework on Rural Extreme Poverty to accelerate the UN agency’s and its partners’ efforts towards eradicating extreme poverty for all people by 2030 - target 1.1 of Sustainable Development Goal 1 – end poverty

On World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the FAO Director-General emphasized that in order to cope with droughts and to reverse desertification, in addition to geospatial technologies, farmers can also benefit from very simple solutions such as 1 Million cisterns and the Green Great Wall Initiative.

Farming families in northern Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate will benefit from a European Union contribution of €15 million to FAO to recover agricultural livelihoods. The area, which includes the city of Mosul, was known as the country’s ‘breadbasket’ before conflict caused widespread damage and displacement.

The funding stems from the GEF's Council meeting in Washington this week where governments approved two separate Work Programs totalling some $966 million, the biggest allocation in GEF's history. This will benefit 91 nations, including 30 Least Developed Countries and 32 Small Island Developing States (SIDS).