Mr Lubetkin, a national of Uruguay, is a journalist with over 40 years of experience in international communications and cooperation for development issues. He started his professional career with the Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency in 1979, holding different positions of increasing managerial responsibility. He served as IPS Director-General from 2002 to 2014. During his career, Mr Lubetkin has coordinated projects with the governments of Finland, Italy, Spain, Uruguay and Brazil, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). In 2012, he was nominated a member of the United Nations Advisory Group for the International Year for Cooperatives (IYC).

Mr Lubetkin has also collaborated extensively with civil society and media in Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador. He has acted as a high-level communication consultant for various organizations in Latin America and the European Union, and for private sector entities in the United States. Prior to joining FAO, Mr Lubetkin was a Professor for a Master’s Degree course on Communication for International Relations at IULM University in Milan (Italy), and was the Director of Seminars on Communication for Development at the Universidad Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) in Santander (Spain). In April 2016 he was appointed “Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” by the President of the Italian Republic.

Mr. Lubetkin joined FAO in February 2014 as Director, Office of Corporate Communication and, from August 2015 to February 2020 he served as Directeur de Cabinet. He is Assistant Director-General supporting the Director General in different external and internal strategic matters.