On October 16, 1945, in Quebec, Canada, 42 countries formally established the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO.
The establishment of FAO provided a way for United Nations’ Member Countries to focus on the struggle against hunger and malnutrition, major concerns for all countries and all people.
FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on October 16, the day on which the Organization was founded.
The objectives of World Food Day are:
- to encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental efforts to this end
- to encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries
- to encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions
- to heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world
- to promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world
- to strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition, and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development
For more information on events and resources connected to World Food Day, visit the FAO website: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/home/en/ [1]
Photo: FAO