Press Releases
Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to visit Japan
1. Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO, will visit Japan from Tuesday, May 9 to Friday, 12 May, 2017.
2. During his stay in Japan, Director-General Graziano da Silva will meet with government officials and other relevant stakeholders, as well as participate in the following events:
| 10 May | Public talk by Director-General Graziano da Silva and job seminar (co-hosted by Sophia University and FAO, 11:00-12:30, Sophia University) | |
| Fukushima Sweets Tasting Event (hosted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13:30-14:10, Imperial Hotel Tokyo) | ||
| Announcement of FAO’s National Goodwill Ambassadors to Japan (hosted by FAO, 14:10-14:50, Imperial Hotel Tokyo) | ||
| 11 May | Visit to a site designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) |
3. Japan places importance on the work of FAO being the leading UN specialized agency in the field of food and agriculture, and, as the second largest contributor of FAO’s assessed contributions, has been working to strengthen its relationship with FAO. Following the first Japan-FAO Annual Strategic Consultation held in January this year, the visit to Japan by Director-General Graziano da Silva is expected to further advance the Japan-FAO relationship.
(Note 1) FAO
FAO (with its headquarters in Rome) is the UN specialized agency in food and agriculture established in 1945 and has a membership of 194 Member Nations (Japan joined in 1951), 2 Associate Members and 1 Member Organization (the EU). FAO aims to contribute towards an expanding world economy and ensuring humanity’s freedom from hunger, including through the development of international standards in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, collection, analysis and dissemination of data and statistics, provision of international fora and technical cooperation in developing countries.
(Note 2) Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO
Mr. Graziano da Silva, having served as Special Minister of Food Security and the Fight against Hunger in Brazil, took up office of FAO Director-General on 1 January 2012 and was re-elected for a second term in June 2015 (until July 2019). He visited Japan for the first time in June 2013 on the occasion of TICAD V and paid a joint courtesy call to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a courtesy call to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.
(Note 3) Public talk by Director-General Graziano da Silva and job seminar
Director-General Graziano da Silva will give a lecture on FAO’s contributions to global food security and sustainable development and its increasing engagement with Japan, which will be followed by career advice from the Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Japan. The audience will be students interested in development cooperation, food security and nutrition issues, and working for UN agencies.
(Note 4) Fukushima Sweets Tasting Event
As a contribution to the reconstruction of Fukushima from the Great East Japan Earthquake, participants will be invited to taste two types of sweets prepared by Japan’s prominent chefs, using fruits (apple and Japanese pear) produced in and provided by Fukushima City.
(Note 5) Announcement of FAO’s National Goodwill Ambassadors to Japan
Two Japanese figures (a famous French chef and a journalist) will be announced and appointed as FAO’s National Goodwill Ambassadors to Japan with the aim to increase FAO’s visibility in Japan.
(Note 6) Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
GIAHS are designated by FAO and describe those systems where traditional agriculture, forestry and fisheries, shaped and adapted to society and the environment over generations, exist in integrity with the resulting culture, landscape and biodiversity. At present, 37 sites in 16 countries are designated as GIAHS, of which 8 sites are in Japan.
