FAO in review: Turning 80 with a year of global action

Ha Noi, Viet Nam. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu (Centre Right) and His Excellency Le Minh Hoan, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly and Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Centre Left) take a group photo with traditional vietnamese performers
©FAO/Duy Do Khuong

2025 was a landmark year for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), marking its 80th anniversary on World Food Day, 16 October (FAO’s official Birthday). The celebrations crowned “365 Days of Action”, a global movement uniting FAO Members, partners, employees and supporters under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.” 

Worldwide engagement 

Leading up to FAO’s 80th anniversary, over 450 events unfolded across 150 countries. From historical exhibitions in Africa to sustainable fashion workshops in Milan, tree-planting initiatives in Kyrgyzstan and China, and culinary experiences in Latin America, the FAO at 80 campaign showcased innovation and solidarity. 

• Trees planting in the desert of West China. 

• Tajikistan combined art with lessons on nutrition and sustainability. 

• Timor-Leste, Togo, Ukraine, and Hungary organized seminars and interactive educational activities focused on hunger, food production, food safety, and sustainable diets. 

• In Ethiopia, students prepared an Amharic choral performance. 

• Students in the Pacific Islands participated in poster contests, the Youth Farmer of the Year awards, speeches, and essay competitions. 

• Other countries in Asia and the Pacific mobilized youth through school programs and innovation challenges. 

• Europe and Central Asia engaged communities with food convoys and educational exhibits. 

Around the world, landmarks were illuminated in FAO blue, including Buenos Aires’ Woman’s Bridge, Tehran’s Tabi’at Bridge, Ankara’s Atakule Tower, Colombia’s Torre Colpatria, and Sri Lanka’s Colombo Lotus Tower, as well as landmarks in Canada and Paraguay.  

FAO’s host country Italy also joined in with nationwide illuminations; and to further emphasize global action, FAO, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, launched “Sustainable Pompei”, an educational itinerary linking the city’s ancient heritage with FAO’s mandate and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Rome, Italy - General view of the FAO Food and Agriculture Museum and Network (FAO MuNe)
©FAO/Alessandra Benedetti

Historic celebrations in Rome  

FAO’s 80th anniversary was officially commemorated on October 16th (World Food Day), but the celebrations began a week earlier with the opening of the first public Global Exhibition: From Seeds to Foods. Over three days (10-13 October), this open exhibition at Park of Porta Capena in the heart of Rome attracted more than 7,000 visitors, showcasing the journey of food from seed to table and celebrating the diversity of crops, traditions, and innovations that nourish the world. 

On 13 October, the opening ceremony of the World Food Forum was attended by several global leaders, including the King Letsie III of Lesotho, FAO Special Ambassador for Nutrition; Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil; Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the interim Government of Bangladesh; Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan, FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for the Near East and North Africa; Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Prime Minister of Djibouti; Queen Letitia of Spain, and Russell Mmiso Dlamini, Prime Minister of Eswatini. 

On 16 October, World Food Day commemorating FAO’s establishment 80 years ago began with the inauguration of the FAO Museum & Network (FAO MuNe) by the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and His Excellency Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of Italy. 

MuNe’s inauguration was followed by a landmark global event, which brought together prominent figures, including His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, alongside other international leaders and dignitaries. President Xi Jinping of China sent a congratulatory message commending FAO on its remarkable achievements over the past 80 years. 

Representing FAO’s host country alongside Prime Minister Meloni, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Collaboration, Antonio Tajani, said hosting such an important institution as FAO represented an honor for Italy. 

Speakers included, among many others, King Letsie III of Lesotho, Uruguay President Yamandú Orsi Martínez, and former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a video message congratulating FAO.  

In his keynote address, Pope Leo XIV underscored his deep commitment to peace and global food security. “Eighty years after the establishment of FAO, our conscience must once again challenge us in the face of the ever-present scourge of hunger and malnutrition,” the Pope said. “In this regard, I consider it a true success that World Food Day is being celebrated this year under the theme Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future. At a historical moment marked by deep divisions and contradictions, feeling united by the bond of collaboration is not only a beautiful ideal, but a resolute call to action.” 

Director-General QU Dongyu emphasized the importance of food and agriculture in addressing today’s challenges. “Your presence here today is a true reflection that hunger knows no borders, and that the challenge of food security demands unity among nations,” he said. “The world’s leaders and people everywhere must come together united by our collective belief that the right to food is a basic human right, and that peace is a prerequisite for food security.” 

Around 155,000 people joined events at headquarters in person or online. The ceremony reached over 50 million viewers. 

Left/Right: FAO MuNE Inauguration. ©FAO/FAO/Alessandra Benedetti
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu (R), and the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella (L) visit the Food and Agriculture Museum & Network (FAO MuNe).
© FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

Inclusive celebrations  

The year also marked the designation of new FAO Goodwill Ambassadors. In September, the Harlem Globetrotters joined FAO to promote healthy diets through sport. On World Food Day, award-winning chef Fatmata Binta was named FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, recognized for championing indigenous crops and empowering women farmers. 

As part of the World Food Day, the event Foods Futures: Conversations for a Better World brought together scientists, economists, policymakers, chefs, youth representatives and FAO’s senior managers, among others for a fast-paced and interactive discussion centered around the transformation of global agrifood systems through the lens of FAO's Four Betters. 

Other FAO Champions – including Monique Coleman, Cristina Bowerman, Alessandro Borghese and the Italian Rugby Federation – energized an audience of nearly 1,000 students during Junior World Food Day.   

Additionally, the Italian postal service and the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy and China national postal administration unveiled commemorative stamps honoring FAO’s 80th anniversary, celebrating the Organization’s longstanding partnership with Italy and China.