Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

print

share

Levan Davitashvili attended the presentation of the Pre-election programs of Candidates for FAO Director-General in Rome

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili  attended the presentation of pre-election programs of candidates presented by FAO Member Countries for the post of FAO Director-General.

The candidate nominated by Georgia delivered a speech at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Council meeting, where he stressed the urgent need for policy reforms to implement in the organization, including recruitment and selection of highly qualified professionals. Georgia’s  candidate pointed up decentralization of the organization to further improve organizational performance and drew his attention to the necessity to enhance environmental and food security systems.
The pre-election stage included debates, which was held under the format of the Chatham House, encouraging openness of discussion and facilitating the sharing of information. Georgian and French candidates participated in the debates, where the participants discussed food security related issues. The meeting was held in Rome at the Institute for Policy Studies.

The overall goal of the debates is to promote transparency of  pre-election programs, increase public engagement and awareness, it also comprised NGO’s, academic circles, permanent representatives of FAO member states and accredited media.

" Georgia Nominates Candidate for FAO Director-General, that is definitely the first precedent taken place not only in Georgia but throughout the region. I would like to express hope, that member states will support a competent, highly qualified and reform oriented candidate, which will ensure equal representation of all regions across the world and promote a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty and ensure equal access to food "said Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Italy, Konstantine Surguladze noted, that, candidate of Georgia will promote his country in the international arena and introduce his vision of the organization to the academic, political circles and media representatives.

While assessing Georgia’s candidate,  Mr Brian Baldwin International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Advisor to the International Agri-food Union development and policy declared, that vision of the Georgia’s candidate is directly linked with the private sector and includes issues of food processing/food safety, the importance of small and medium farmers in the development of food systems; furthermore,  candidate’s attitude towards transparency of the organization will further enhance organizational performance management in FAO.  

Elections for the post of FAO Director General will be held in Rome on 22-29 June, 2019. Representatives of Georgia, China, France and India take part in the elections.