Egypt’s Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Organisations in Rome, Bassam Rady, announced that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference has unanimously elected Egyptian diplomat Mina Rizk as Chairperson of the FAO Council for the next four years.
The Egyptian Embassy in Rome submitted the nomination of its advisor, Rizk, who serves as Deputy Permanent Representative of Egypt to the FAO, to stand in the elections for the Chairperson of the FAO Council.
Ambassador Rady highlighted that Rizk is the first Egyptian to hold this prestigious position in the organisation’s 80-year history, which dates back to 1945.
“This comes after a fierce electoral competition that included five candidates from the organization’s various geographic groups: Africa, Asia, South America, North America, and Europe, including ministers and senior officials from those countries,” Rady said.
Rady noted that the successful Egyptian candidate, at 38 years old, is the youngest person to ever hold this high position in the organization’s history.
He emphasized that Egypt’s successful nomination to the FAO was also a result of the Rome embassy’s recent efforts to strengthen Egypt’s international bid. Rady highlighted Egypt’s rightful place to lead the organization’s council during this crucial time, given the growing global importance of food security, water, agriculture, and irrigation.
These sectors are of primary importance to Egypt, especially considering the major development projects being implemented under President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s leadership in food security and agriculture.
