FAO celebrates 70 years at World Food Day

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations and José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General, are leading the celebrations.

Madeleine Fogde, Program Director of SIANI, is a member of the Swedish FAO Committee and part of the Swedish delegation at the forty-second session of the Committee on World Food Security, and together with other delegates is in Milan at the anniversary event.

“Access to food is crucial for peaceful development, and it is instrumental that FAO was established prior to other UN agencies at the end of World War II. Now FAO can look back at the 70 years of successful endeavour to reduce hunger and poverty. Eradication of hunger is at the heart of FAO’s vision and FAO will play a key role in the realization of Agenda 2030″, said Fogde.

SEI Executive Director Johan Kuylenstierna said, “FAO plays a fundamental role in bringing agriculture and food security issues to the top of the international development agenda. SEI has enjoyed collaborating with FAO for 25 years and congratulates FAO on their success. FAO has always focused on solutions and provided support to countries and other actors in a credible and scientifically robust way. We look forward to future collaboration opportunities in our common quest to eradicate hunger and bring about positive change towards sustainability”.

The celebration of World Food Day in Sweden will take place on 21 October, 2015. The theme of the event is “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”. The event will be held by SIANI, The Swedish FAO Committee and the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation.

Watch the live webcast from Milan»

Read the program with key note speakers»