China Gains Power in UN/FAO with Its Investments into Precision Technologies
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has existed at the periphery of UN agencies and been a focus of critics almost since its founding in 1945, as the vehicle for ending hunger and achieving food security.
Based in Rome, the FAO has 194 member nations and many projects designed to raise the standards of agriculture and meet the needs of millions of malnourished people. But it remains a niche specialized agency that often works with larger UN entities, such as the World Health Organization, reports Barbara Crossette of PassBlue.
The FAO has been criticized from both the left and right — from the Slow Food movement to US officialdom — for its policies, performance and integrity of leadership.
China sees an opening.
On or around June 23, FAO member nations will elect a new director-general, and the Chinese candidate appears to be in the lead. The organization is a major player in the fate of Sustainable Development Goal 2, which calls for “zero hunger” by 2030. China’s motivations in pushing for the director-general job are mixed.
Diplomats from industrial nations have said in the past that China wants a significant role in the global food trade not only as a seller of commodities and technology but also as an importer of foodstuffs from reliable sources for its huge, more affluent population. The Chinese have established agricultural projects around the developing world, many in Africa, with this role in mind. They have occasionally met local resentment and protests because of their exclusionary behavior toward local people.
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