About FAO [fr]

Status

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an intergovernmental organization, established in 1945, with 194 member countries and two associate members (Faroe Islands and Tokelau) and one member organization, the European Union. FAO is present in more than 130 countries.
FAO is the United Nations specialized agency for agriculture (including livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture) and food. In these areas, it is the forum for multilateral debate, which it organizes and facilitates. It produces guidelines, and supports governments in the formulation and implementation of agricultural and food policies. It also intervenes in humanitarian emergencies, to rehabilitate the agricultural production system and fight against animal diseases and crop pests.

Mission

FAO’s mandate is to improve levels of nutrition, agricultural productivity and sustainability, and the quality of life of rural people, and to ensure global food security.

Functioning

FAO is headed by a Director-General, elected by secret ballot by member states, for a four-year term renewable once. Former vice Minister of Agriculture of China, Mr. Qu Dongyu was re-elected in July 2023 for second term of 4 years.

FAO’s governance is based on two governing bodies:
 the General Conference, the highest plenary body of FAO, decides on general policy and approves the organization’s budget and programme of work for two years. It is composed of representatives of all members and associate members. It meets every two years and held its last session in July 2023.
Five Regional Conferences (Africa - Asia and the Pacific - Latin America and the Caribbean - Europe - Near East - North America, informal conference) are organized between the Conferences. It meets every two years and the next sessions will take place in 2024.
 the Council, composed of 49 member countries elected by the Conference for three years, is the executive body of FAO. It is responsible for preparing the Conference with regard to the FAO programme of work and budget, and for supervising their proper implementation (evaluations, financial monitoring...). The independent Chairperson of the Council is Mr. Hans Hoogeveen (Netherlands). The French Luc Guyau held this position from 2009 to 2013, and his role is to lead the Council sessions and promote consensus among delegations.

In carrying out its functions, the Council is assisted by:
 Council committees: a Program Committee (France was a member from July 2019 to July 2021), a Finance Committee, and a Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (chaired by France for 2023-2025), which meet twice a year and report to the Council;
 technical committees: a Committee on Agricultural Products, a Committee on Fisheries, a Committee on Forestry, a Committee on Agriculture, which meet once every two years;
 an independent committee: the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale, hosted by FAO, which meets once a year.

France and FAO

France shares with the FAO the will to work towards the eradication of hunger and malnutrition, and to improve the world’s food and agricultural systems, with the objective of sustainable development and to strengthen global governance on these issues. As a major contributor to the organization, France has a rotating seat on the FAO Council under the agreement discussed with the European group.