Türkiye's Candidacy for FAO Director General: Diplomatic Contacts and Global Vision

Regarding his candidacy for the Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Eker told the AA correspondent that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan requested support for Türkiye's candidacy in their various contacts.

Stating that Türkiye is trying to establish face-to-face contact as much as possible with the countries that are members of FAO and will vote in the election, Eker said, "There are 193 member states of the United Nations. These are the countries that will make choices in FAO. We are trying to establish face-to-face, one-to-one contact with them as much as possible." he said.

Eker stated that they have met with representatives of approximately 100 countries since the start of the campaign, and received written or verbal support promises from a significant number of these countries, and said that Türkiye will intensify its diplomatic contacts as the election date approaches.

"Türkiye'nin yaklaşımı, gıdaya erişim hakkının güvence altına alınması üzerine kurulu"

"Our approach, the main thing for us is, 'He who sleeps full while his neighbor is hungry is not one of us.'" Eker emphasized that the candidacy is important in terms of reflecting Türkiye's approach to food security at the international level.

Eker pointed out that there are serious problems in the field of food safety in the world and said, "645 million people in the world are hungry, 1.4 billion people are obese, 2.3 billion people have food on their plates, but that food is not enough." he said.

Stating that although there are 8.3 billion people in the world, enough food can be produced for 11 billion people, Eker said that the fact that millions of people face hunger indicates problems in the global food system.

Eker said, "There is something wrong here, there is a problem. The food security issue is a global security issue. When this is not solved, it is very difficult to ensure global security." made his assessment.

Stating that food insufficiency can lead to displacement and migration of people, Eker emphasized that access to food is a fundamental human right.

Stating that Türkiye's approach is based on securing this right, Eker said that President Erdoğan has also expressed this approach to global food security on international platforms.

"Türkiye'nin yaklaşımı, FAO'nun yönetimine yansır"

Stating that FAO was founded 81 years ago and that directors general from 9 different countries have served so far, Eker said that Türkiye has not been among the countries selected for this position so far.

Eker stated that if he is elected, his country's approach to food security will also be reflected in the management of FAO and said, "Türkiye's perspective, approach, understanding of humanity, vision of civilization will be reflected here, it will be reflected in the management of this institution." he said.

Eker underlined that global food security is a common issue that concerns all countries, and stated that the developments in the Black Sea Basin, the Strait of Hormuz, Babülmandep and the Gulf of Aden are also important for global food security.

Drawing attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Eker said, "Food is used as a weapon against people in Gaza. It is used as a weapon against children. This brutality, this oppression must end somehow. The right to food should not be violated, it is a fundamental human right." he said.

FAO'nun üç temel fonksiyon alanı

Eker explained that FAO has three basic functional areas, the first of which is the establishment of standards in the field of food and agriculture.

Stating that FAO prepared the food codex used worldwide and established standards in the field of plant protection and quarantine, Eker said that it also has the world's largest food, agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries statistical network.

Eker underlined that it is important to produce, analyze, process, report and share these data with member countries in high quality.

Stating that the second basic function area is to provide technical assistance and consultancy to developing countries, Eker stated that by supporting and implementing various projects, a large amount of food savings can be achieved, agricultural productivity can be increased and the fight against animal diseases can be made effective.

Eker pointed out that animal diseases can directly affect food and human health, and explained that studies in this field are among the important activities of FAO.

Stating that the third area is the fight against global hunger, Eker noted that FAO has an active role in this field and that fulfilling this properly is linked to the good management of the organization.

"Food safety is a matter of national and global security"

Emphasizing that FAO's main functional areas concern 193 countries and billions of people living in these countries, Eker said, "This is a matter of humanity. It is an issue about the future of humanity. If children are dying of hunger in a world and food is used as a weapon against a society, women and the elderly, it is not possible for the world to turn and run in a healthy way with this cruelty, this cruelty, this darkness, this brutality." he said.

Stating that food is an "ontological issue", Eker said, "It concerns all of us. Food security is no longer just about providing food. The issue of food security is a matter of national security for countries and global security for the world." he said.

Eker pointed out that FAO could make a serious contribution to the solution of these issues and said, "As Turkey, we believe that by becoming a candidate for FAO, FAO, like all other UN organizations, will be more effective, more productive and will be more beneficial to humanity." he said.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu's second term will end in 2027, and Angola, Italy, Spain and Ireland are among the countries that have announced their intention to run for this post.

The new FAO Director-General, who will be determined by the election to be held in Rome next summer, will serve for the period 2027-2031.