Italian Prime Minister Gentiloni to open FAO's governing-body Conference in July

Il presidente del Consiglio Paolo Gentiloni ha incontrato il Direttore Generale della FAO José Graziano da Silva.

1 March 2017, Rome – Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in a meeting today with FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva accepted an invitation to open the UN agency’s governing body, the Conference, which is set to convene on 3-8 July with the participation of top level representatives from more than 150 countries.

During talks at the Italian Premier’s official residence, Graziano da Silva reiterated FAO’s support for Italy’s Presidency of the G7, in particular the G7 Agriculture Ministers Summit scheduled to take place in Bergamo on 14-15 October 2017.

The Italian Prime Minister and FAO’s Director-General expressed their shared vision on the need to address in a coherent way the related issues of food insecurity, migration, conflicts, health and climate change.  

Prime Minister Gentiloni and Director-General Graziano da Silva also agreed to link the work of the G7 Agriculture Ministers summit to the themes of World Food Day which is celebrated on 16 October.

Moreover, the Director-General informed the Prime Minister of FAO’s readiness – in accordance with the Arria Formula Meetings on Food Security, Nutrition and Peace – to provide Italy and other members of the United Nations Security Council – Italy is currently a non-permanent member – with information and data on food security in countries experiencing conflict.

Prime Minister Gentiloni concluded by reaffirming the Italian Government’s commitment to support and strengthen the role of the three Rome-based UN food agencies – FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP).