Ambassador Perera nominated to serve as FAO’s Vice Chairman

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy Asitha Perera was nominated unanimously during the Asia Group session held recently at the FAO Headquarters to be the Vice Chairperson of the FAO Council.

Ambassador Asitha Perera attended the Asia Group meeting in the capacity of Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the FAO, the specialiszed Agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, whilst assisting developing countries and countries in transition to modernise and improve agriculture, forestry and fishery practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.

The nomination of Ambassador Asitha Perera was proposed by the Representative of the Republic of India during the Asia Group session, and was seconded by the Pakistani Representative. All the members of the Asia Group including India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Afghanistan, South Korea, D.P.R. Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia, supported the nomination. Ambassador Asitha Perera, whilst thanking the Asia Group members, indicated that the support received by all the Asia Group countries for his nomination as Vice Chairperson of the FAO Council is tangible evidence of the continued friendship, warm relations and confidence that the international community has in President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sri Lanka, further enhancing the importance of the role played by the FAO Council as the key body of the organisation.

Ambassador Perera also sought the advice and guidance as regards his future role in the Council.

Ambassador Perera was also nominated Vice Chair of the Rome Chapter of the G-77 Group during the recent G-77 meeting held at the FAO Headquarters. The G77 and China Rome Chapter supports the work of FAO, IFAD, and WFP – UN agencies mandated to guide global strategies and actions to eradicate hunger and poverty.

The Rome Chapter focuses mainly on food security and agricultural development, guarding closely the interests of the developing countries as it advocates for the achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) within the three Rome based agencies Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Through inter and intra-group lobbying and negotiation, the Rome Chapter ensures that the plight of the poor from the developing countries is always at the top of the food security agenda. It also plays an intermediary role in supporting South-South Cooperation.

As it strives to uphold the interests of the developing countries, it scrutinises the policies, governance and programs of the three Rome based agencies in a bid to ensure that the poorest of the poor have access to food and knowledge, technologies and resources to ensure agricultural production. It has also been outspoken on the need to contextualise the current debate on bio-energy and the resultant escalation of food price and how the world food and agriculture terrain is likely to be transformed.