Recognized as a leading agency in the field of Communication for Development, FAO since the 80s has been advocating for the added value of ComDev in international platforms:

• In 1988, FAO was one of the founding members and promoters of the UN Inter Agency Roundtables on Communication for Development, a forum for exchanging ideas, experiences and strategies on harnessing communication to achieve more equitable and sustainable development. With UNESCO as the official Coordinator, the Roundtables have been organise FAO has organized two Roundtables, in 1991 and 2004.

• A landmark in the history of Communication for Development was the World Congress held in Rome in October 2006, and organized by FAO, The World Bank and the Communication Initiative. The meeting brought together some 900 participants from around the world to share experiences and best practices. For the first time on such a large scale ComDev specialists gathered together with policy makers to discuss how to increase the success impact of development programs through more widespread use of communication. The Rome Consensus adopted by the Congress provided a definition of ComDev which is now commonly adopted by all UN agencies.

• FAO’s OEK organized an Expert Consultation “Communication for Development: meeting today’s agriculture and rural development challenges” from 14 to 16 September 2011 at FAO headquarters in Rome. The consultation aimed to assess the role of ComDev in relation to emerging challenges and to identify priorities, strategic initiatives and partnerships to position ComDev and maximize its contribution to agriculture and sustainable rural development. Participants included a selected group of representatives from practitioners, universities, development organizations and donors with an interest in promoting ComDev in the agricultural sector.