New FAO Chief Moves on Global Eradication of Hunger

(January 04, 2012) Jose Graziano da Silva, the new director-general of the U.N. food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization, said on Tuesday his top priority is eliminating hunger, undernourishment and increasing food security. Two days after taking office, da Silva said he personally has no time to lose, as his term in office will be only three-and-one-half years. "FAO will scale up its support on a number of low-income food deficit countries, especially those facing prolonged crisis," he said. Nearly one billion people are estimated to suffer from chronic hunger, and many countries are far from achieving the Millennium Development Goal of reducing that number by 50 percent by 2015. A Brazilian National Graziano da Silva is the eighth person and the first Latin American to head the organization since its establishment after Second World War, succeeding Jacques Diouf of Senegal who held the post from 1994 to 2011. Africa will remain a priority during his mandate, da Silva said. "I will travel to the continent at the end of January to participate in the African Union summit and visit the Horn of Africa to see the situation and the work being done and firsthand." He said he would prepare for the organization's regional conference that would be held early this year. Da Silva laid out five strategic priorities. "Eradicate hunger, move toward a more sustainable system of production and consumption, achieve greater fairness in the global management of food, complete FAO’s reform in pushing for decentralization, and expand south-south cooperation." He said neither the FAO nor any other agency or government will win this war alone.