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Welcome to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

FAO's early beginnings

FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and achieve food security for all. FAO was established on 16 October 1945 when 45 nations signed the Constitution at the first session of the Conference held at Château Frontenac in Québec, Canada.

The signing of the Constitution of FAO in 1945 Québec, Canada. ©FAO

In its early years, FAO headquarters was in Washington D.C., USA. In 1949, a vote was held by the Member States to relocate headquarters and it was decided that FAO would move to Rome, Italy. The move officially took place in 1951.

August 1951, Rome, Italy - Construction taking place on FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. ©FAO

FAO headquarters today

The new headquarters of FAO became the building that was originally designed for the Ministry of Italian Africa. A team of architects, led by Vittorio Cafiero and Mario Ridolfi, designed these buildings in 1938 and the works were completed between the early 1950s and 1960s. Two of the six buildings were added in the late 1980s and early 1990s to accommodate the need for more space.

Today, the headquarters complex consists of a total of six buildings. And the eight-storey complex covers more than 100 thousand square metres across a total area of four hectares– that’s more than seven football stadiums!

Preamble to the Constitution

What you see here, engraved in marble, is the Preamble to the Constitution of FAO.

The Preamble to the Constitution wall . ©FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

It explains that the Organization’s mandate is centred around:

  1. the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition;
  2. the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and
  3. the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

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Did you know there are six official languages of the UN? English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian were chosen because they are the topmost spoken languages in the world.

FAO logo and UN logo

Have you seen FAO’s logo? In the centre, is a head of wheat with the letters of FAO and the Latin motto FIAT PANIS (Let there be bread). This motto emphasizes the Organization’s goal to end hunger and make sure that people everywhere have enough healthy food to eat.

The FAO logo is not to be confused with the UN logo. The UN flag has a light blue background with a white central map of the Earth with five concentric circles that are framed by olive branches.

FAO and the UN flags. © FAO/Giulio Napolitano

FAO and the 2030 agenda

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, world leaders came together to commit to achieving sustainable development and ending poverty in all its forms across the globe by 2030. This commitment is known as the 2030 Agenda. And the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at its core. The global goals cover all aspects of sustainable development from achieving Zero Hunger (SDG 2), protecting Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life on Land (SDG 15), to ensuring Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) and taking Climate Action (SDG 13), to name a few.

How does FAO 's mandate relate to the SDGs?

Food connects us all and is an essential part of our lives. Without first providing healthy food to everyone, we can’t end poverty, achieve gender equality, education or good health.

The Four Betters

Although we have made progress towards building a better world, too many people have been left behind. People who are unable to benefit from human development, innovation or economic growth. The problem is access and availability of nutritious food, which is increasingly impeded by multiple challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate change, inequality, rising prices and international tensions. People around the world are suffering the domino effects of challenges that know no borders.

FAO’s roadmap to accelerate action towards achieving the 2030 Agenda is known as the Four Betters; Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better life. Through the Four Betters, we can transform agrifood systems making them more efficient, inclusive, resilient, sustainable and capable of providing enough safe nutritious food for all, leaving no one behind.

Four Betters installation by the artist Lorenzo Pietrantoni © FAO/Ana Gil

We are on this journey together and all of us need to take action. Governments need to deliver on their commitments and implement the SDGs in their national development plans and policies. But it is not only up to them! Civil society, the private sector, the media and the public, including youth, need to become agents of change for the global goals.

Read more about the Four Betters in FAO’s Strategic Framework.

The Plenary Hall

The Italian sculptor, Mirko Basaldella, created “The Universe”, made from panels of glazed chalk, between 1951 and 1952. It’s an allegorical representation of the sky and ocean floor. ©FAO/Alessandra Benedetti

The Plenary Hall has seen a parade of world leaders, such as heads of state, even the Pope! It’s the most important meeting room at FAO headquarters and has about 1 200 seats. It was designed to hold high-level meetings, including the Conference, the World Food Summit and the World Food Day official ceremony – just to name a few.

The Conference

The Conference is the supreme governing body of FAO and is comprised of all 194 Member States, two associate members and a member organization - the European Union. This body meets every two years in the Plenary Hall to determine policy and approve the budget of the Organization. Each Member is represented by one delegate and, when voting, Members can cast one ballot each. The Conference also elects a Director-General for a four-year term, renewable once. The current Director-General is Mr. QU Dongyu.

07 August 2019, Rome, Italy - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu official portrait. ©FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto

The Red Room

The Red Room was designed to host meetings of the Council. This body is comprised of 49 Member States that are elected by the Conference.

The delegates serve a three-year rotating term and carry out executive activities including the programme of work and budget. And the Council normally holds five sessions in between meetings of the Conference over a period of two years.

The Green Room

One of the four bronze sculptures, made by Giò Pomodoro and donated by the Italian Government in 1967, that hang on the wall of the Green Room. ©FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

The Green Room is adjacent to the Red Room and is another one of the major meeting rooms.

This room has 496 seats and is equipped with a technical booth, as well as interpretation booths.

FAO around the world

While FAO headquarters is situated in the heart of Rome, the Organization has a very extensive network of offices and is present in over 130 countries! There are five Regional Offices, ten Subregional Offices and 85 Country Offices of which six are Partnership and Liaison Offices.

As a neutral forum, FAO headquarters provides the setting where developed and developing nations come together to build a common understanding. FAO creates and shares critical knowledge and information about food, agriculture and natural resources. This knowledge is turned into action when implemented in the field through various projects.

Let’s take a journey to learn about FAO’s work in the field!

FAO believes that producing more food is not enough to achieve truly sustainable food security. Going forward, we will need innovative technologies to help transform the ways in which we produce and consume food for the well-being of our communities, economies, and planet. This means producing and growing food with limited natural resources; one such innovative method is aquaponics. FAO is supporting the development of this method in various countries, such as in Rwanda. Aquaponics is a system that combines aquaculture with hydroponics – a method of growing plants without soil. Essentially, it’s a system that uses the fish water as fertilizer for the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish. Aquaponics provides small-scale farmers with limited access to land and water the potential to grow food and have a viable business.

Growing vegetables using hydroponics. ©FAO

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Climate Change Adaptation Fisheries Sector Project (CC4FISH)

The impacts of climate change affect food security, nutrition, and the livelihoods of those who work in agrifood systems. In the Eastern Caribbean, the Climate Change Adaptation Fisheries Sector Project (CC4FISH) aims to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts by using adaptation methods such as capacity building of fisherfolk and aquaculturists, and mainstreaming of climate change into fisheries governance.

For example, the project has supported Dominica fisherfolks and aquaculturists after Hurricane Maria in 2017 through the rehabilitation of shrimp farming with climate change resilient measures such as concrete walls around the hatchery and utilization of hurricane roof ties for the rafters. In Grenada, the project provided training for fishers to use information and communication technology (ICT) such as GPS, Cellphone and VHF, for safety at sea and to be better informed in case of coming major weather events. The training took place both in the classroom as well as at sea. And in Saint Kitts and Nevis technical assistance was provided to the country to review existing aquaculture facilities and an aquaponics demonstration farm was built to increase aquaculture resilience.

General view of ponds of the acquafarming system, Dominica. © FAO/Dwayne Benjamin

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Transforming agrifood systems through digital technologies

Digitalization helps farmers to face challenges, such as climate change and plant pests. The desert locust is a destructive migratory pest that feeds on large quantities of vegetation and is a serious threat to agricultural production, livelihoods and food security.

In East Africa and Yemen, FAO has implemented interventions using digital agriculture to help control the upsurge of this pest, such as providing equipment like sprayers and protection suits, as well as using digital technology, like satellites, to help monitor, control and forecast its movement.

Desert Locust Surveillance activities using drones, Sudan © FAO/Amani Muawia

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Smart Farming for the Future Generation project in Uzbekistan and Viet Nam

The Smart Farming for the Future Generation project is giving new meaning to the word "smart" when thinking of innovative ways to boost crop production. Improving agriculture isn’t always about artificial intelligence, robots and big data. When it comes to rural smallholder farming, being “smart” is often about finding affordable and clever ways of boosting crop production without harming the environment.

This project is helping rural families in Uzbekistan and Viet Nam improve their agricultural production in greenhouses in ways that allow them to produce more food with less pesticides, less mineral fertilizers, less water, less labour and more safety.

Farmer on a tomato plantation in Uzbekistan. ©FAO/ A. Khalimov

Using scientific knowledge and traditional or modern evidence-based solutions, the project is turning greenhouse farming into successful businesses, increasing employment opportunities for communities, as well as offering more diverse, affordable, and safer food.

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Digital technologies improving access to information

Access to digital technologies and promoting sustainable practices using digitization improves agricultural production as well as the management of natural resources. FAO and Telefónica – one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world – developed a water efficiency project for communities in Colombia, El Salvador and Peru. Smallholder farming is the main sector in the rural economy of Latin America and plays a key role in national food security and nutrition as well as rural employment.

Telefónica and FAO launch pilot project for digital innovation in the Colombian countryside. ©FAO

Many farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture and are vulnerable to the changing patterns of rain and water availability as a result of climate change. Better access to information using cloud storage, specialized hardware and data processing facilitates decision-making and allows farmers to better manage natural resources which further strengthens the production of their crops.

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Food heroes

FAO works with food heroes from across the world when implementing projects and programmes in the field. From smallholder farmers to factory workers, food transporters to shopkeepers, food heroes work to provide food and assistance to their communities and abroad even during challenging times.

Food heroes show us that our actions matter. We can take inspiration from them through simple daily actions, such as choosing healthy, local food, and respecting the environment by wasting less.

David Lubin Memorial Library

Researchers, from around the world, visit FAO’s library to consult its various documents and rare books. It contains over one million FAO and non-FAO documents, as well as special and digital collections, adding to the reputation of the Organization as an agency of knowledge. It’s considered one of the world's finest collections in food, agriculture and international development.

Portrait of David Lubin. ©FAO

The David Lubin Memorial Library was established in 1952 and was named after David Lubin, the founder of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA). In the late nineteenth-century, Lubin was concerned about the difficulties farmers were facing in agriculture. He had the idea to bring together world leaders to share knowledge and raise awareness about these issues. In need of support, he proposed the idea of creating an international institute to King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, and in 1905 the IIA was launched. After the founding of FAO in 1945, the Organization inherited the assets and wealth of resources from the IIA’s library.

Resolution No. 90

In 1951, the Conference adopted Resolution No. 90 in which Member States were invited to donate artworks, furniture and other examples of their national and rural crafts to display at FAO headquarters to celebrate the diversity and unique cultures around the world that make up the Organization. While some of the donations are inside meetings rooms, others are visible as you walk down the hallways.

Iraq Room © FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

Sheikh Zayed International Media and Knowledge Centre

Press Conference at The Sheikh Zayed Centre at FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy. © FAO/Giulio Napolitano

“Give me agriculture, and I will give you civilization”. This quote, engraved on the entrance door of the Sheikh Zayed International Media and Knowledge Centre, is by His highness Sheikh Zayed - the first President of the United Arab Emirates. The statement highlights the crucial role farming has played in human progress. It’s written in the UN’s six official languages, as well as in Italian, Japanese and hieroglyphics. The artist, Sadika Keskes, designed this corten steel door and the stained-glass palm trees that hang at the entrance of the room.

Inaugurated in 2012 and funded by the United Arab Emirates, this space is used for press conferences, screenings, publication launches and briefings. It is equipped with interactive television transmission capacities, video conferencing, video streaming, remote broadcasting and digital media distribution services, and has 170 seats and seven language channels.

The China Lounge

Inaugurated in 1985 and donated by the Government of China, the China Lounge is used by the Director-General to receive distinguished guests like heads of state, prime ministers and other officials.

The China Lounge at FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy. @FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

There is even a secondary breakaway room, with its own entrance, that serves for brief private meetings prior to attending larger ones.

FAO's art collection

In the corridors of FAO headquarters are artworks and sculptures with cultural significance. An example includes the paintings, “We from immense Africa in the continuous space” (1992) and “The sun of my country will always warm us” (1990) by the Mozambican artist, Bertina Lopes, that were displayed during the World Food Summit (WFS) in 1996. The Government of Mozambique donated them to the Organization as a sign of gratitude for all that FAO had done to help the country.

The painting “The sun of my country will always warm us” by Bertina Lopes. © FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

FAO's art collection

Other artworks on display are a result of a collaboration between the artist and FAO. For instance,“The Creation” (1997) by Pedro Pablo Oliva was made while he was holding a workshop for art students at FAO headquarters. This mural explores themes of the birth of love and humanity - two components that provide form to creation. The Cuban artist donated this mural to FAO in celebration of the TeleFood Concert which was held simultaneously in Rome and Havana on 26 October 1997.

The Creation - painting by P.P. Oliva (Cuba) © FAO/Pier Paolo Cito

More recently in 2022, on the occasion of the Junior World Food Day, students from the Cervantes school in Rome participated in a workshop with Roman illustrator Lorenzo Terranera. They produced a colourful mural that depicts a sustainable world with Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life, where everybody has access to enough nutritious food, and no one is left behind. Today, the mural proudly hangs on the wall in the Atrium.

Four Betters wall art installation Inauguration. ©FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto

The Atrium

Throughout the year, FAO hosts several exciting events and exhibits on a wide range of topics with the aim of sharing knowledge and raising awareness about the Organization’s mandate. Many of these high-level events are hosted in the Atrium.

International Year of Millets

Did you know that 2023 is the International Year of Millets?#IYM2023 is an opportunity to raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets, their suitability for cultivation under harsh conditions and their potential to provide new sustainable market opportunities for producers and consumers. The opening exhibit invited visitors to join a sensory experience and get to know millets. From touching and observing several types of millets, to reading about their health benefits and discovering new recipes, this memorable experience successfully communicated their rich heritage and potential.

International Year of Millets - Atrium Exhibition ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano.

Read more about the IYM 2023.

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World Food Day Exhibit

We are all connected through the natural resources we share, our actions and basic needs like food. This special World Food Day exhibit features photos from ESA astronaut and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Thomas Pesquet that highlight the effects of climate change and environmental degradation as a call to action.

World Food Day Exhibit Inauguration - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet © FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto

FAO's #FoodHeroes speak from all regions about actions they are taking to adapt to climate change and transform agrifood systems. Together, we can build a sustainable future where no one is left behind.

Watch the video of the exhibit!

Collective action across 150 countries worldwide is what makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. Hundreds of events and outreach activities bring together governments, businesses, civil society organizations (CSOs), the media, and the public, including youth, in over 50 languages. They promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all, leaving no one behind. 16 October is also the anniversary of FAO.

FAO’s eighth-floor terrace

FAO’s eighth-floor terrace has various elements on display that reflect the Organization's mandate and vision of a sustainable world with healthy diets for all.

Did you know that FAO headquarters is the first UN structure with an organic rooftop garden? Inaugurated on 17 November 2021, FAO's rooftop garden highlights the role innovative technology can play in increasing access to healthy diets. Planted entirely in mobile, triangle-shaped modules made of corrosion-retarding steel, the garden is equipped with an intelligent automated system that ensures crops get what they need to thrive. Sensors monitor nutrients, pathogens, atmospheric pollution, moisture and temperature. The garden explores the potential of urban agriculture – promoted also by the Organization’s Green Cities Initiative - to alleviate food shortages in areas where agricultural land and soil is limited, such as mountains and cities. It can be replicated as terrace farming in urban areas, for food, vegetables and flowers.

Even tomato seeds that travelled to space have grown in the rooftop garden! The European Space Agency Astronaut and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Thomas Pesquet presented seeds from the International Space Station to the Director-General QU Dongyu representing important experiments in space to learn more about growing plants in harsh conditions as we experience the effects of climate change.

Organic rooftop garden at the FAO's terrace © FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto

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Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Programme (GIAHS) photo exhibit

While on the terrace, you can also have a look at the GIAHS photo exhibit on the windows. Through GIAHS, FAO helps preserve agricultural heritage, which is crucial to the planet. In this exhibit, the farmers are the artists of these unique landscapes as they work in harmony with the environment and use knowledge passed down over centuries to implement sustainable practices for agricultural production and protect the biodiversity in their surrounding ecosystems.

GIAHS photo exhibit at FAO's terrace © FAO/Guido Chiefalo

Youth are the change makers of the future

FAO believes that young people are the change makers of the future – they are the generation with the tools and expertise to end hunger.

Children finishing their tasks before the school Feeding. © Pep Bonet/NOOR for FAO

Education is power and can inspire change. Learn more about FAO and how you can take action through our various online resources.

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Urban Actions

The Urban Actions web App lets you explore how the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are linked to actions YOU can take to build a better future for the planet, our city and its people. It's time for all of us to reimagine our cities and unlock their full potential.

Urban Action app view ©FAO

Download Urban Actions!

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Reading activities

If you are an educator, parent, guardian, or university student, or simply interested in learning more about food security, sustainable agriculture and related topics, download our activity books for youth. Packed with activities and true stories about young people around the world who are taking action, the series explains complex issues in a fun and engaging way.

Activity book - 2022 edition ©FAO

These multilingual books are also a great tool to empower youth and encourage them to play a role in building a sustainable food secure future.

FAO group visits

Did you know that FAO offers three different group visits?

They are:

  1. in-person visits at FAO headquarters;
  2. online visits of FAO on Zoom; and
  3. in-person visits at the G20 Green Garden.

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Discover FAO web app

Explore a multilingual tour that brings FAO to your fingertips! Our youth tour includes interactives features to test your knowledge. Learn about FAO’s mandate and history while getting an inside view of its architectural spaces where Members and world leaders meet.

QR Code of "Discover FAO" web app ©FAO

Download Discover FAO!

Contact us

For more information visit the group visits website

We want to hear from you! Write to the Group Visits team at: Group-Visits@fao.org

© FAO 2020