The 43rd Session of the General Conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) kicked off on Saturday at the Organization's headquarters with Kuwait delegation being led by Ambassador in Rome Nasser Al-Qahtani. Director-General of the Organization Qu Dongyu, of China, opened the biennial event in the presence of more than 100 ministers of agriculture from the 194 member countries.

The ongoing session will see the election of a new Director-General for the next four (2023-2027) by secret ballot tomorrow, the second day of the event. Qu, those term in office has expired, was first elected in June 2019; he is standing unopposed to be re-elected. Holder of this post may serve only two consecutive four-year terms. The opening session is scheduled to discuss procedural matters, such as the election of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons, followed by the traditional McDougall Memorial Lecture, which this year will be delivered by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies of Singapore.

The main theme of the various panel discussions taking place throughout the Conference is integrated water resources management. There will be three roundtable discussions on the theme of water from Monday through Wednesday. Round-Table one is themed "Water Scarcity: Making water flow for people and planet; Round Table Two on Integrated Flood Risk Management; and Round Table Three will focus on Water Infrastructure." In addition, five side events will promote debates on various pertinent topics, ranging from the risks and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence to the importance of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) for Global Food Security. The minister-level session of the conference, the top governing body of the organization, will last until Friday, July 7.

Kuwait Ambassador to Italy Nasser Al-Qahtani spoke highly of FAO's role in achieving food security and sustainable development. The State of Kuwait believes in the active role of the UN agency in ensuring healthy food and sound nutrition in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, he said in statements to KUNA on the fringes of the conference. "Kuwait actively backs the FAO policies and technical committees, and held the presidency of the Organization's regional Arab Group," Ambassador Al-Qahtani pointed out. He commended the successful cooperation with the Organization in the UN-led humanitarian effort aiming to ensure food security and decent living particularly in the disaster-hit countries. He noted that Kuwait and FAO share experience in boosting sustainable development and food security policies. Led by Ambassador Al-Qahtani, Kuwait delegation to the 43rd session of General Conference also includes the country's Permanent Representative to FAO Youssef Jheil. (end) permanent delegate to FAO Youssef Jheil.