C44 SPECIAL EVENT Inaugural FAO Treaty Ceremony Statement

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Welcome to this historic inaugural FAO Treaty Ceremony - the first of its kind to be held by FAO.

Today, is an important moment for FAO Members to celebrate their commitment to the Organization’s mandate and normative work, in the broader context of FAO’s 80th Anniversary.

Since 1945, when Members created this Organization, they recognized that some issues would need to be addressed through further legally binding commitments.

The treaties adopted under Article 14 of the FAO Constitution are central to FAO’s work as they operate in critical areas such as animal health, fisheries and aquaculture, desert locust control, and plant protection, among others.

The treaties are not just abstract legal commitments – they provide the needed support to Members through the relevant Secretariats and FAO technical divisions to ensure their effective implementation.

As part of its mandate under the Basic Texts of the Organization, FAO undertakes significant capacity-building, technical assistance and related support functions for its Members, working together in close collaboration, through these treaties, to achieve concrete results to benefit Members.

For example, some treaties establish practical cooperation mechanisms to address the challenge to food security caused by the desert locust.

Other Article 14 treaties contribute to food security by promoting sustainable management of fish stocks.

Dear Members,

Today, we celebrate the acts of deposit, as well as the instruments deposited earlier this year, not only as formal acceptance of legal obligations, but as your commitments to collective and coherent action, supported by FAO.

Each deposit is a powerful sovereign act, contributing to joint action to the benefit of people and the planet, in line with FAO’s mandate.

This Ceremony is, above all, a celebration of all FAO Members, and the achievements made possible through your engagement for a shared future.

Let us renew our shared determination to fulfill FAO’s mandate through understanding, respect, collaboration, solidarity, and a shared responsibility, for a better future for all.

Thank you.