Objective: FAO is the UN specialized agency aims to provide food security in the world through organizing efforts for food and agriculture.
Date of Establishment: 16 October 1945
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Director General: Mr. Qu Dongyu (People’s Republic of China)
Member States : FAO has 194 member states. Moreover, the European Union is a member organization; Faroe Islands and Tokelau are associate members. The full list of members is available on the website of FAO. 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 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.
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 fields of food and agriculture 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 two times a year to make the necessary preparations for the Conference meetings. Türkiye was elected to be represented in the Council in 2013.
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.
The administrative matters are covered by Council and Conference, as well as the Finance Committee, Programme Committee and Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters. Committees on technical matters are Committee on Agriculture, Committee on Commodity Problems, Committee on Fisheries and Committee on Forestry.
FAO activities comprise of agriculture, consumer protection, fisheries, forestry, natural resources, technical cooperation, economic and social affairs. FAO has 147 Country Offices, 5 Regional Offices and 11 Sub-Regional Offices to carry out its fieldwork. 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.
In addition to the opening of the Sub-Regional Office, Türkiye-FAO Partnership Programme (FTPP) has also been put into effect in 2007. FTPP and the Sub-Regional Office focus on agricultural projects and programmes for Central Asian countries, and constitute important milestones in the relations between Türkiye and FAO.
Türkiye’s cooperation with FAO is being conducted through two Partnership Programme, with regards to food security and sustainable management of natural resources. FTPP and Türkiye-FAO Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) is supported by Türkiye.
In the first term of FTPP, Türkiye made 10 million USD contribution to the Programme, and this contribution was utilized for 29 projects. In 2014, Türkiye and FAO decided to initiate the second phase of FTPP. For the second phase, fund worth 10 million USD was granted, that focuses on food security and nutrition, agricultural and rural development, protection and management of natural resources, agricultural policies and food security.
In addition to FTPP, the Government of Republic of Türkiye, assigned fund worth 10 million USD for FTFP. FTFP was established in 2014, which aims to strengthen the capacities of the sub-regional countries and the countries in the other regions through technical expertise sharing by Türkiye and FAO on forestry, natural resources, desertification and sustainable development. Within the scope of the Agreement, sustainable forest management, plantations and restoration, forest products and ecosystem services, forest and environment, people and forests, governance, assessment and monitoring, combating desertification, and interdisciplinary issues are covered.
In the framework of Türkiye-FAO Partnership Programmes, besides Türkiye, operations are being carried out in 20 countries included in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan as well as African and Balkan countries.
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 are followed by the Turkish Embassy in Rome.
As of 30 November 2024, Dr. Betül Vazgeçer performs as Vice-Chairperson of Codex Alimentarius Commission.