Morocco elected to vice-presidency of FAO Council

Morocco secured election to the vice-presidency of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Council during the agency’s 179th conference in Rome on Monday. The kingdom will serve on the FAO Council, the organization’s 49-member executive body responsible for overseeing policy implementation and strategic direction, until 2029.
This election confirms member states’ confidence in Morocco’s constructive role within FAO governing bodies, according to Ambassador Youssef Balla, the kingdom’s permanent representative to UN agencies in Rome, who led the Moroccan delegation at the December 1-5 conference.
During his intervention, Balla highlighted rigorous preparation of adjustments to the 2026-2027 work program and budget. He reiterated Morocco’s support for approving these adjustments while welcoming the reallocation of five million dollars to priority sectors, particularly the Technical Cooperation Program, Codex Alimentarius, and other areas essential to FAO’s normative and operational mandate. The objective aims to strengthen direct support for developing countries and improve the organization’s overall performance.
Balla praised efforts to accelerate digital transformation, reinforce environmental sustainability, and enhance results-based management, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a modern, efficient, impact-oriented FAO.
Conference discussions will address organizational reform and means to improve governance and working methods, strengthening effectiveness and capacity to respond to global food security challenges. The session occurs within a global context marked by pressure on food markets and aggravated climate change effects.
Debates fit within the broader UN80 initiative framework aimed at modernizing the United Nations system and adapting UN institutions to coming decades’ realities and requirements. Morocco’s enhanced role positions the country to influence international agricultural policy and food security strategies while contributing North African and developing world perspectives to global governance discussions.