FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization

President: Mariana Jiménez Zamudio

Chair:

Topic A) Strategies to address bioprospecting and genetic patenting inciting biopiracy that undermines traditional agricultural knowledge and smallholder see sovereignty in Southern Asia.

Topic B) Confronting the causes of child labour and exploitative practices within West African cocoa supply chains with emphasis in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.

Background and faculties

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) works as a permanent specialized agency of the United Nations, which was officially founded on October 16th, 1945, in Quebec City, Canada. It was initiated with the goal of addressing global concerns regarding food security, hunger, agriculture, and rural development. The organization comprises 194 Member States, along with the European Union as a Member Organization and 2 Associate Members. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO plays a fundamental role in supporting international cooperation regarding agricultural and environmental sustainability additionally to humanitarian assistance.

The Food and Agriculture Organization is committed to enhance agricultural development, improve global supply systems, and promote international cooperation in rural development. It has the authority to:

Promote the international cooperation to address challenges related to hunger, nutrition, and agricultural development through coordinated global initiatives;
Develop policy frameworks and strategic guidelines to promote protection and sustainability within agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors;
Facilitate the establishment of inclusive distribution networks and systems to enhance accessibility, availability and efficiency throughout production and supply chains;
Support communities facing environmental, humanitarian, and economic crises through early warning systems aimed at strengthening preparedness, monitoring, and adaptive mechanisms;
Administer and mobilize international financial assistance and security mechanisms, emergency resources, and development funding to support response efforts.