Italian President Sergio Mattarella
will be the keynote speaker at the 39th biannual conference of
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome on
Saturday.
Fourteen heads of state are expected to attend the
week-long event, along with 197 members of the organization.
The conference will define the organization's 2016-2017
budget and political direction for carrying out its mission of
eliminating world hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
It will also elect a director-general for the next four
years.
Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva is expected to be
reconfirmed as the sole candidate.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet will speak at
Saturday's opening ceremony, followed by a lecture on food
security from former Brazilian president Luiz Ignacio Lula da
Silva.
Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner is scheduled to
speak on Monday.
On Sunday, 15 countries will receive an award for reaching
the Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG1) target on reducing
hunger.
Of these, six will also be honored for reaching the more
stringent World Food Summit goal of 1996.
On Friday June 11, Queen Letizia of Spain will be nominated
FAO Special Ambassador for Nutrition.
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