After election as FAO director- general speaks to conference

Qu Dongyu, the Chinese vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs, who was elected Sunday to be the next director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, spoke briefly to the FAO delegates after the results were announced.

Qu said he is committed to the FAO principles of fairness, openness, justice and transparency, and promised to be an impartial and neutral leader. He also committed himself to the United Nations sustainable development goals.

Qu, the first Chinese and the first Communist to run the FAO, also said he was “grateful” to his “motherland,” which has engaged in “40 years of successful reform” in agriculture.

A Chinese official also told the delegates that Qu’s election “demonstrates you have confidence in China as a contributor to global food security.” He also noted that China was one of the founding members of FAO and said “China will continue to deliver on its obligations to FAO.”

FAO posted a video of the secret ballot election and of the statements that followed as well as a link to an FAO document that includes Qu’s biography and those of the candidates from France and Georgia who ran against him.

Qu received a total of 108 votes out of 191 cast, constituting a majority in the first round.

The election took place during the 41st session of the FAO Conference, the highest governing body of the organization, which continues through Saturday.

–The Hagstrom Report