The 74th United Nations General Assembly has designated 21 May as International Tea Day. The observance serves as an acknowledgement of the herb’s contribution to human health, socialization, rural development, and sustainable livelihoods. The United Nations acknowledge the importance of tea as a major cash crop for millions...

The 74th United Nations General Assembly has designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition.  The observance aims at raising awareness on the importance of the food loss and...

On 11 December the United Nations (UN) celebrated the International Mountain Day at the UN Headquarters in New York. The event was co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Permanent Missions of the Kyrgyz Republic, Andorra, Austria, Bhutan, Canada, Greece, Italy, Nepal and...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) participated in the annual CERF high-level pledging event ‘A Fund for All, by All’. The event was hosted by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the United Nations New York Headquarters, as an opportunity to highlight...

FAO participated today in the Comprehensive High-level Midterm review on the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) for the Decade 2014–2024. The plenary took place in the United Nations Headquarters in New York.During the interactive panel on promoting trade, trade facilitation, and structural economic...

The Permanent Missions of Thailand, Ecuador Nigeria, and the Russian Federation co-hosted with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) the World Soil Day 2019 celebration at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This year’s theme, “Stop...

On 3 December, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) participated in the Joint Meeting of the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission on “The Impact of Cross-border Transhumance on Sustainable Peace and Development in West Africa and the Sahel”.In her speech, Director of the...

The Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) of the UN General Assembly concluded its 74th session today. At this session, the committee adopted over 40 resolutions, including on Sustainable mountain development; Agriculture development, food security and nutrition; Agricultural technology for sustainable development; International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and...

FAO is taking a stand against sexual and gender-based violence by participating in the UN Secretary-General’s campaign: UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women. On 25 November, FAO attended the official commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women at the UN Headquarters in...

On 14 November, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu visited the United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ) to have a series of bilateral meetings on the state of food insecurity, rural poverty and agricultural sustainability around the world.Qu began his day by participating in a meeting with the Principals of the United Nations Sustainable...

On 31 October, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) co-hosted a high-level event on “Renewing efforts to address rural poverty to meet SDG1 by 2030”. Held in the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, the event supported ongoing discussions in...

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, announced his intention to convene a food systems summit, in his video message to the 2019 World Food Day. “Transforming food systems is crucial for delivering all the Sustainable Development Goals. That is why I hope to convene a Food Systems...

In talks today with Tandi Dorji, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu discussed ways in which the country can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through the agriculture sectors. During their meeting on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dorji noted...

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu today briefed the President of Namibia Hage Gottfried Geingob on FAO’s new Hand-In-Hand Initiative during a meeting on the side-lines of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly. Geingob noted how his country faces major challenges related to climate change like drought and flooding that impact...

Food security and nutrition must be a priority in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which can count on FAO's support in taking "better coordinated and more coherent actions" towards that goal, Director-General Qu Dongyu said on Friday. Climate change, vulnerability, resilience, disaster risk reduction, isolation, insufficient land resources and dietary changes that...

During their meeting today Paraguay’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Rivas said his country fully supported FAO Director-General’s vision for the UN agency and expressed great interest in FAO’s new Hand-In-Hand Initiative. Rivas said that Paraguay aims to develop its agro-business sector including exploring initiatives that are aimed at creating employment...

FAO Director-General and Alejandro Ferrer Minister of Foreign Affairs for Panama met today in talks that focused on strengthening cooperation. During their meeting on the side-lines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ferrer outlined initiatives in his country based on local agricultural production to supply school-feeding schemes. This is...

In talks today FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and Cristiana Pașca Palmer, the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, agreed that efforts to safeguard the planet’s biodiversity must be rooted in science. Pașca Palmer described FAO as an excellent partner and noted the agency’s contribution to shaping...

Technology magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates today emphasized his support for FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu by meeting him at FAO’s Liaison Office in New York. During their discussion, the FAO Director-General briefed Gates on his vision for FAO and the UN agency’s new Hand-In-Hand Initiative which prioritizes targeted work that benefits...

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their partnership towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The agreement renews a long-standing formal collaboration between the two UN agencies and was signed today in New York by...