Our Office
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with a membership of 194 Member States, two Associate Members and the European Union as Member Organization. FAO leads international efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, and to sustainably manage and utilize natural resources. Our goal is to achieve food security for all, where everyone has regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.
The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels (FAO Brussels) is one of more than 130 FAO offices worldwide, working with partners to achieve this goal and the wider Sustainable Development Agenda.
Our Team
| Raschad Al-Khafaji, Director Raschad Al-Khafaji is the Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium. He started his career at the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) in Austria and worked at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). In 2003, he joined FAO working at the then Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at headquarters and later in the Office of the Director-General, where he served as Attaché de Cabinet and, subsequently, became Deputy Directeur de Cabinet ad interim. In 2019 he became a Special Assistant to the Director-General, a position he held until his move to Brussels in 2021. He holds a Magister in Economics with a focus on International Development and Marketing from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration in Austria. |  |
| Paulo Caruso de Lima, Liaison Officer Paulo Caruso de Lima, a journalist with a Masters degree in Global Journalism at the Uninettuno University of Italy, worked for Brazilian media outlets until 2008 before leading successful campaigns for Brazilian candidacies to major UN bodies at Brazil's Permanent Mission in New York. In 2014, he joined FAO's Office for Corporate Communication, before becoming Personal Assistant to FAO's Director-General. In this role, he handled the Director-General's personal communication and focused on themes such as the UN System, inter-regional organizations, peace, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and food systems. In 2019, he moved to FAO Brussels, where he acts as Liaison Officer to the Council of the EU, to the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and other EU bodies (such as the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions) and also oversees partnerships with EU-based non-state actors. Paulo is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese (mother tongue) and Italian. |  |
Magali Herranz, Emergency and Rehabilitation Liaison Officer
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| Balázs Hamar, Liaison Specialist Balázs joined the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels in 2022, where he is the main focal point for the European Commission and is covering the FAO-EU Strategic Dialogue. He has 20 years of experience in agriculture, food and international cooperation related issues. He served for five years as the permanent representative of Hungary to the Rome Based UN agencies (FAO, WFP, IFAD) and for five years as the coordinator for the Hungarian member organizations in COPA/COGECA. He studied at the Corvinus University in Budapest, as a DAAD scholarship holder at the Humboldt University in Berlin and had an internship at the Ohio State University. He holds a PhD in horticultural sciences. Balázs is fluent in English, German, Italian and Hungarian (mother tongue), speaks French and has some knowledge of Russian. |  |
| Charis Michaelidou, Liaison Specialist Charis joined the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels in November 2022 as liaison specialist with the European Parliament, with a focus on strengthening the key role of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition, of which FAO Brussels is the Secretariat. Charis has worked at the European Parliament in various positions. First, as parliamentary assistant, where she followed the Committees on Foreign affairs, Security and defence, Environment, Health and Food safety. Following that, she became policy advisor working on the Committee on Development and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, gaining experience in development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Before joining the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels, Charis worked with the Committees on Civil liberties, Justice and Home affairs and Employment and Social rights. Charis holds a Master’s degree in Comparative politics with a specialization in conflict studies from The London School of Economics and Political Science and has obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Political science from the University of Cyprus. She is fluent in English and Greek (mother tongue), speaks French and has some knowledge of Spanish and Italian. |  |
| Giulia Rizzo, Liaison Specialist Giulia joined FAO in October 2021 to support the work of the Liaison Office with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) as well as strengthening engagement and partnerships with non-state actors with a focus on Brussels-based youth-related stakeholders. Prior to joining FAO, she worked with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) Unit in charge of Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries, covering the UN Food Systems Summit portfolio and with a non-governmental organization based in Cambodia, specialized in human rights issues. Giulia holds a Master’s Degree in International Law and Human rights from Sussex University. She speaks English, French and Italian (mother tongue). |  |
Helena Trigueiro, Junior Liaison Specialist Helena has previously worked at the European Parliament, providing scientific and political guidance on food, agriculture, and health-related policymaking. She has experience in EU Public Affairs, and was the Global Strategic Lead for Network Engagement at the NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, working to improve engagement and impact across six continents. Helena is an invited lecturer in Food and Nutrition Policy at CESPU University Institute in Porto. She speaks Portuguese (mother tongue), English, French, and Spanish. |  |
Jaber Kazhaz, Liaison Specialist Jaber joined the Liaison team in August 2024, where he serves as the focal point for climate change and biodiversity-related topics, aligning office activities with FAO’s organizational mandates. He also covers matters related to non-EU ambassadors and partners, such as the OACPS. Jaber’s background includes project management roles in a startup and a grassroots NGO. Jaber has also worked in diverse international settings, including with the United Nations through internships at FAO and UNEP, where he contributed to high-level meetings on biodiversity and environmental policies. He holds a Master of Science in Environment and Development from King’s College London. Jaber speaks Arabic (mother tongue) and English, as well as some Spanish. |  |
| Myrto Arvaniti, Communication Officer Myrto is responsible for public advocacy, communications, and visibility of the Liaison office. Prior to joining FAO in Rome in 2011, she had worked in managerial positions in the financial, consulting, and publishing industry, among others, in Paris, Nuremberg, and Amsterdam. She has an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, with a specialization in branding and strategic marketing, and a certificate in Strategic Marketing from INSEAD, as well as an MA in Communications from the University of Athens. She has also given seminars about cultural differences at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg . Her passion for the impact traditional marketing practices can have on non-profit Organizations led her to step out of the corporate world and into the United Nations. Myrto is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Greek (mother tongue) and German, and has some knowledge of Dutch and Italian. |  |
Cyntia Rosa de Jesus Lima, Digital Communication Specialist Cyntia joined the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels as part of the Communications Team in October 2023, working remotely from Italy, where she lives with her family. As a Digital Communications Specialist, she plays a key role in enhancing the visibility of FAO’s work by managing the Liaison Office’s social media presence and website, and also supports strategic communication efforts around high-level events. Before joining the Liaison Office, Cyntia worked for over eight years with the FAO Social Media Team at Headquarters as a Communications Specialist. She also collaborated with a Hawaii-based American forest restoration accelerator, where she held various roles such as Partner Operations Manager and Partnership Marketing Manager. Cyntia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Communications from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in her home country, Brazil, and a Master’s degree in Development, Innovation & Change from the University of Bologna, in partnership with the University of Cape Town. She is fluent in English, Italian, and Portuguese (her mother tongue), with a working knowledge of Spanish. |  |
Richard Nichols, Administrative Officer Richard joined FAO's Liaison Office in Brussels in December 2021. He has over 15 years of relevant experience with FAO in the areas of budgeting, accounting, finance, human resources, procurement and operations with sound knowledge of administrative processes and controls. During his years of work at FAO, he trained a multitude of administrative/operations employees and implemented a series of administrative processes in various country offices (Bangladesh, Togo, Cape Verde, Uganda, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Niger, South Sudan). He is also the responsible person for all of the administrative processes and controls of FAO Liaison Office in Geneva. Mr Nichols holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Business University of Costa Rica - UNEM) and a Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in International Affairs (John Cabot University – Rome). He is fluent in English (mother tongue) with a good knowledge of French and Italian. |  |
Tamara Rode, Administrative Assistant Since May 2025, Ms. Rode provides administrative support to the FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium, assisting the Director and facilitating day-to-day office operations. Her responsibilities include managing relations with host country institutions, overseeing office administration, and coordinating logistics for events. Tamara brings an international background, having grown up in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Uganda. She holds a Master’s in Political Science (International Relations and European Integration) and a Bachelor’s in Economics. Before this role, Tamara gained professional experience with the EU Delegation to the UN in New York, the German Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, and the Council of Europe’s Liaison Office to the OSCE and UN in Vienna. She is fluent in German (mother tongue), English, Spanish, and Italian, with good knowledge of French. |  |
| Bruno Portier, Forestry Officer: Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme Bruno joined FAO in 2018 after previously having worked for the organization from 2005 to 2008. He is responsible for the RESSOURCE project of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme and coordinates the SWM Programme in the Sahelian Wetlands (Senegal, Mali, Chad, Sudan and Egypt). Bruno is a Belgian national and holds degrees in agriculture and forestry engineering from the University of Gembloux. He has 20 years of professional experience as a technical advisor, facilitator, project manager, researcher and consultant in the fields of forestry, forest governance (FLEGT), biodiversity, wildlife, ornithology, management of protected areas, agriculture, rural development and climate change. Bruno is fluent in French (mother tongue) and English with some knowledge of Spanish, German, Dutch and Italian. |  |
Gao Ya (Ms.), Forest Officer, FLEGT Africa and Latin America Facility Programme (ALA)
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| Marc Vandenhaute, Forest Officer, FLEGT ALA Facility Team Leader Before joining FAO in 2009, Marc worked for WWF, GIZ, and EU in Cameroon on EU-related initiatives (Community forests, Forest private Certification, FLEGT Action plan etc.). In 2009, Marc moved to FAO HQ to support the implementation of NFO’s EU-FAO FLEGT Programme, an experience of 10 years. Between 2019 and 2022, he moved to the European Forest Institute (EFI) as a FLEGT advisor to the European Commission. Between 2022 and 2024 he served as the CTA of a large GCF and CAFI-funded FAO Field Project promoting afforestation in the Republic of Congo. He is currently the team leader of the FLEGT Africa and Latin America Facility (FLEGT-ALA Facility) managed by the DG INTPA F2 and active in Honduras, Guyana, Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Rep of Congo, and CAR. Marc is a Belgian national and holds degrees in agriculture and forestry engineering from the University of Gembloux. He has 25 years of professional experience as technical advisor, facilitator, project manager, forest governance expert (FLEGT), management of protected areas and social forests, private certification of large logging companies, rural development, afforestation/reforestation, and climate change. Marc is fluent in French (mother tongue) and English with some knowledge of Spanish, Dutch and Italian. |  |
| Maria Pachta, Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Officer: Forest Governance and Value Chains Programme Maria is an international lawyer with a wide-ranging experience in forest law and policy design, development, and implementation. She has worked over the past 20 years in the intersection between forestry with agriculture, trade, climate change and energy in the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment in her home country (Greece), the European Commission and the European Forest Institute. Maria was directly involved in the formulation and rollout of the EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan’s key instruments, the FLEGT Regulation and EU Timber Regulation. She has overseen negotiations, conclusion and implementation of FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) in Asia, Africa and Latin America and recently contributed to the elaboration of the Forest Partnerships between the EU and Partner Countries. Maria holds an L.L.M in public international law, including post-graduate diplomas in international trade law and international development law from the University of London. She is fluent in Greek (mother tongue) and English and speaks French. |  |
Raphael Tsanga, Forestry Officer, FLEGT ALA Facility, Central Africa Raphael is a Cameroonian lawyer specializing in environmental governance, the sustainable management of tropical timber production forests, forest certification, timber value chains, and private sector engagement across Central, West, and East Africa. He holds a PhD in Environmental Law from the University of Aix-Marseille, France. With over 15 years of experience in forest governance, Raphael has worked closely with informal timber producers to strengthen their capacity to engage in forest policy development. His expertise extends to leading policy dialogues and facilitating communication between governments, NGOs, and the private sector on natural resource management and environmental issues. Before joining the FAO as a Forestry Officer, Raphael was a scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), where he supported West and Central African countries in the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process. His research focused on the formalization of domestic timber markets and assessing the impact of VPAs. As a member of the FLEGT ALA Facility kindly hosted by the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels (LOB), Raphael will support VPA processes in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo. |  |