Bangladesh has been elected a Member of the FAO Council from the Asia Region for the term 2022-2024.
The decision was made on Thursday at the 42nd Session of the UN Agency at which 183 member states participated, said a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh, with other Council Members, will now lead the organisation at both policy and executive level in deciding and advising on matters pertaining to the implementation of programme and budget execution of the organisation for three years, the release said, adding that Bangladesh Embassy in Rome actively worked to obtain support in favour of Bangladesh.
This comes at a moment when Bangladesh is going to host the 36th Asia and the Pacific FAO Regional Conference (APRC) from 08-11 March 2022 in Dhaka which is expected to be attended by Ministerial level delegates from 46 member countries of the region.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has agreed to inaugurate the Conference which Bangladesh is going to host for the first time.
The session, held on a virtual platform from the Headquarters of FAO in Rome, attended by an 8-member Bangladesh delegation led by Agricultural Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, which also includes Agricultural Senior Secretary Md Mesbahul Islam and Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative to FAO Md Shameem Ahsan, among others.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) is the specialised agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.