The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has elected Dr. Qu Dongyu of China to be its new director-general.
Dongyu received a total of 108 votes, which was a majority of the 191 votes cast. The election was held during the 41st session of the FAO Conference, which was held June 22-29.
His term will begin on August 1 and will run through July 31, 2023. He will succeed José Graziano da Silva of Brazil, who has held the director-general’s position since 2011 and was unopposed in his re-election bid in 2015.
Dongyu is currently the vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China. Huis past work experiences include serving at leading positions in research institutes, provincial government and large enterprise groups. He holds a Ph.D. in agricultural and environmental sciences from Wageningen Agricultural University, a master of science degree in plant breeding and genetics from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and a bachelor of science degree from Hunan Agricultural University of China.
Once he becomes the director-general, Dongyu will become ninth person to hold that position since the establishment of the FAO in 1945, and the first person from China to serve in that capacity.
Others who have served as FAO director-general, prior to da Silva, include:
- Sir John Boyd Orr, United Kingdom, 1945-1948
- Norris E. Dodd, United States, 1948-1954
- Philip Vincent Cardon, United States, 1954-1956
- Binay Ranjan Sen, India, 1956-1967
- Addeke Hendrik Boerma, Netherlands, 1968-1975
- Edouard Saouma, Lebanon, 1976-1993
- Jacques Diouf, Senegal, 1994-2011
According to the FAO website, the organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
