Honourable Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain is representing Pakistan at the 179th Session of the Council of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), being held in Rome from 1–5 December 2025. The Minister’s participation underscores Pakistan’s strong commitment to global food security, agricultural resilience and constructive multilateral engagement at a time of growing international challenges.
Addressing the Council, the Minister delivered a forceful condemnation of Israel’s repeated ceasefire violations and expressed profound concern over the catastrophic humanitarian and food crisis unfolding in Gaza. He stressed that the situation has reached a critical point, with civilians enduring acute deprivation, widespread displacement and severe threats to life due to escalating hostilities and the collapse of essential services. He emphasized that the global community cannot remain indifferent to the mounting human suffering and the rapidly worsening food insecurity in the besieged territory.
The Minister commended FAO’s steadfast commitment in continuing to operate in Gaza under extremely dangerous and life-threatening conditions. He underscored that FAO’s presence on the ground, despite the immense risks, is a testament to its humanitarian dedication and urgently requires reinforced international support. Calling for decisive global action, the Minister urged the immediate enforcement of a ceasefire, the unhindered and sustained inflow of humanitarian aid, and resolute international measures to prevent further loss of innocent lives and avert a full-scale famine.
Pakistan, a founding member of FAO, is currently serving its term on the FAO Council for 2024–2026. The Minister welcomed the development that Pakistan has been elected by consensus to continue on the Council unopposed for the 2027–2029 term. He noted that this reflects the international community’s confidence in Pakistan’s longstanding experience, principled engagement and outstanding service to FAO’s global mandate. He emphasized that this period is particularly significant as FAO prepares for critical intra-institutional reforms aimed at strengthening its governance, operational effectiveness and strategic vision for the coming decade.
The Minister highlighted that Pakistan’s membership of the FAO Finance Committee further positions the country to play a key role in shaping the Organization’s budgetary and administrative policies. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to contributing constructively to FAO’s work in ensuring more efficient resource management, stronger institutional accountability and enhanced support for vulnerable food systems worldwide.
On the margins of the Council session, the Minister is scheduled to hold important bilateral engagements, including meetings with the Director-General of FAO and the Italian Minister for Agriculture, to advance cooperation in agriculture, food security and capacity-building.
Pakistan remains steadfast in supporting FAO’s Strategic Framework through sustained proactive engagement and meaningful cooperation, reaffirming its enduring commitment to global efforts aimed at eradicating hunger, strengthening agricultural resilience and building sustainable food systems.
