Objective: FAO is the UN specialized agency undertaking initiatives to ensure food security and sustainability by raising agricultural capacity, conserving natural resources and underpinning forestry, livestock and fisheries. It leads international efforts to eliminate hunger and poverty.
Date of Establishment: 16 October 1945
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Director General: Qu Dongyu (People’s Republic of China)
Member States : FAO has 193 member states. Moreover, the European Union is a member organization; Faroe Islands and Tokelau are associate members. Türkiye has been a member of FAO since 6 April 1948.
Background
The idea of establishing an organization to follow food and agricultural issues worldwide has emerged at the end of the 19th century. In this regard, International Institute of Agriculture was established in 1905 after an international conference gathered in Rome. The aforementioned institute was compelled to cease its activities during the WWII in 1948. Shortly thereafter, FAO was established and assumed the Institute’s duties.
FAO was founded at the first FAO Conference held in Canada on 16 October 1945 with the objective of providing food security in the world through organizing efforts for food and agriculture. The Headquarters of FAO was moved from Washington to Rome in 1951.
Organizational Structure
FAO activities are conducted through the Conference, Council and Committees. The highest decision-making body of FAO is the Conference, which is held biennially with high-level participation from all member states. During the Conference, member states review the global developments in the related fields and approve of the calendar of events and budget of FAO for the next two years. The Conference is also tasked with electing a Director General every four years to govern and represent FAO.
The general administrative affairs of FAO are governed by the Council which has 49 members. The Council members are elected by the Conference for a period of three years. The Council gathers five times in each biennium to make the necessary preparations for the Conference meetings.
The decisions taken at the Conference are put into practice through the Council. The Council pursue its activities through sub working groups, such as Committees and Commissions.
FAO activities are funded by the contributions of the member states as well as other funds established on a project-oriented basis.
Türkiye-FAO Relations
Development of Relations: Türkiye has been a member of FAO since 6 April 1948 and her relations with FAO have strengthened in recent years. Türkiye makes financial contributions to FAO.
FAO Sub-Regional Office for Central Asia, which was inaugurated in 2007 in Ankara, is of importance to Türkiye. The FAO Sub-Regional Office operates under the purview of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia in Budapest.
Besides, the entry into force of the Türkiye-FAO Partnership Programme (FTPP) in 2007 constituted an important milestone in the relations between Türkiye and FAO. In the first phase of FTPP, Türkiye made 10 million USD contribution to the Programme. In 2014, Türkiye and FAO decided to launch the second phase of the FTPP and the Türkiye-FAO Forestry Programme (FTFP). An additional 10 million USD fund was provided for the second phase of the FTPP and 10 million USD was allocated for the FTFP.
The partnership programmes and the activities of the Sub-Regional Office aim to transfer the technical expertise of Türkiye and FAO to countries in our region, particularly sub-regional Central Asian countries and to strengthen their capacities.
In this context, creation of projects and programmes and addressing of interdisciplinary issues was enabled in the fields of food security, nutrition, livestock, agricultural and rural development, conservation and management of natural resources, sustainable forest management, plantations and restoration, forest products and ecosystem services, forests and the environment, people and forests, governance, assessment and monitoring and combat against desertification.
Türkiye’s representation in FAO: Türkiye aims to maintain active engagement in the Organization’s programmes. In coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Türkiye attends in the meetings of the FAO decision-making bodies as well as Committee and meetings of European Regional Group of which Türkiye is a member. The work at the FAO Headquarters is followed by the Turkish Embassy in Rome.
Türkiye, is currently among the 49 member states of the FAO Council.
As of 30 November 2024, Dr. Betül Vazgeçer assumed Vice-Chairmanship of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which aims the worldwide standardization of food safety. She is the first Turkish citizen to be elected to this position.