EuropaWorld 5/1/2001 The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

The decision to found a permanent organisation to tackle the problem of world hunger was taken in 1943 when 44 heads of government met in Virginia, United States to discuss the issues of food scarcity. Two years later, in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) was founded - a specialised United Nations agency with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition, to improve living standards of rural populations and, through increased agricultural productivity and efficiency, to alleviate world hunger and poverty. Today, the FAO is the largest autonomous agency within the UN system, with 180 member nations, more than 4,000 staff and a biennial budget in 1998-99 of $650 million.

The work of the FAO, to promote agricultural development and to increase food security for all, falls broadly into two categories. The first is to provide strategic planning and policy advice for governments and countries on such issues as land and water development, plant and animal production, forestry, fisheries, trade, investment and living standards. To this end, information is collected, analysed and disseminated by FAO staff, the launch of AGROSTAT by the FAO in 1986 providing the world's most comprehensive source of agricultural information and statistics. The Organisation also acts as a neutral forum where issues of international concern can be addressed.

The second tier of the FAO's work is to provide direct development assistance to governments and rural communities. It plays a major role in dealing with food and agricultural emergencies - a current example being the work of the FAO to mobilise and co-ordinate support for famine-struck Sudan. It also encourages long-term sustainable agricultural development to avert such disasters in the first place; a specific priorities being placed on the efficient conservation and management of resources. The Organisation thus aims to meet the needs of both present and future generations through strategies that do not degrade the environment and are economically viable, technically appropriate and socially acceptable to the communities in which they take place.

The FAO maintains a highly qualified staff to advise on and implement such programmes; 2,300 being based at its Rome headquarters and a further 2,000 personnel working at decentralised offices and field projects around the globe. Such projects are usually undertaken by the FAO in co-operation with national governments and other agencies.

As other UN agencies, the FAO is funded through contributions of its member states, who also govern the organisation and decide its limitations and priorities. The Conference of Member Nations meets every two years to review the work carried out by the FAO and to agree a programme of action and a budget for the next biennium. The Conference also elects a Council of 49 member nations to act as an interim governing body. Members serve three-year, rotating terms. The final task of the Conference is to elect a Director-General to head the agency. The current Director-General is Jacques Diouf from Senegal. After a political career in Senegal and several international positions Mr Diouf was the ambassador of the Senegalese Permanent Mission to the United Nations before assuming office as Director-General of the FAO in January 1994.