FAO marks 80th anniversary with Regional World Food Day 2025: Hand in Hand for a better future

Bangkok, Thailand - Asia and the Pacific is home to more than half of the world’s undernourished population, facing the triple burden of hunger, malnutrition, and obesity. Despite progress, challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, economic shocks, and unequal access to land, finance, and markets continue to threaten livelihoods, health, and sustainable development. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report, globally, 2.6 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, making collective action more urgent than ever.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific commemorated World Food Day in Bangkok, ahead of the global observance on 16 October. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, FAO Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific, presided over the ceremony, which was opened by Alue Dohong, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative.

Her Royal Highness highlighted, “The challenges we face today—from climate change and conflict to rising inequality and food waste—are deeply interconnected. Achieving food security, sustainability, and resilience requires a collective effort, working hand-in-hand across borders, sectors, and communities.”

FAO’s Dohong added, “There is hope. We have the expertise, innovation, experience, tools, and above all, partnerships that make the transformation of our agrifood systems achievable.” Across the region, promising initiatives are already underway: farmers’ cooperatives adopting water-saving irrigation, communities restoring degraded soils, women driving climate-smart and nutrition-focused innovations, youth pioneering digital solutions, and private sector investment in sustainable supply chains.

Guided by FAO’s Four Betters—better nutrition, better production, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind—the event emphasized on strategic partnerships to tackle hunger and malnutrition.

FAO’s 80 Years of Commitment

This year’s World Food Day coincides with FAO’s 80th anniversary, reflecting decades of work to boost food production, reduce poverty, and respond to crises. Programmes such as the Hand-in-Hand Initiative help countries identify priority value chains, attract investment, and bring partners together to achieve lasting impact.

As FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu has emphasized, “The actions we take today will directly impact the future. We must produce more with less. Let’s work towards a future that is more inclusive and more equitable.” He added, “Eighty years on, hunger is still with us, but it is not inevitable. With shared purpose, we can— we must—move forward.”

“The task before us is great, but we can accomplish it,” said Dohong. “If we join hands—governments, farmers, researchers, women and youth, the private sector, civil society, and communities—we can build a future where safe, affordable, and nutritious food is accessible to everyone.”

As FAO reflects on its 80-year journey, the organization reaffirms its commitment to work alongside Member Nations and partners to deliver practical, lasting solutions that will help achieve a food-secure world for generations to come, addressing today’s challenges and turn them into opportunities for a better tomorrow.