The Spanish Government will nominate Luis Planas for FAO Director-General

Eduardo González The Spanish government will nominate the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, for the position of Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). “I want to announce that Spain will nominate Luis Planas for the Director-Generalship of the FAO,” declared Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Monday, March 16, in a press conference before attending the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (EAC) in Brussels. “It is a long process; there is still quite a bit to do,” he cautioned. “The decision will be made during the summer of 2027,” he specified. “It is a Spanish candidacy, but one with a European focus, and it also reflects Spain’s belief in multilateralism and the United Nations at a time when food security is absolutely fundamental,” he concluded. The FAO, headquartered in Rome, is the United Nations agency leading the international effort to end hunger. Its objective, as stated on its website, is to achieve food security for all and, at the same time, ensure regular access to sufficient, good-quality food for an active and healthy life. With 194 members (193 countries and the European Union), the FAO works in more than 130 countries worldwide. Its current Director-General is Qu Dongyu of China, the ninth since the FAO's creation in 1945. He took office on August 1, 2019, and was re-elected for a second four-year term on July 2, 2023. Spain is represented at the FAO through the Office of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the Embassy in Italy. The current Deputy Permanent Representative is Fernando Miranda Sotillos. Spain is represented at the FAO through the Office of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the Embassy in Italy. The current Deputy Permanent Representative is Fernando Miranda Sotillos. Born in Valencia in 1952, Luis Planas has been Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food since June 2018, immediately following the vote of no confidence that brought Pedro Sánchez to the Presidency of the Government. Between 1982 and 1987 he was a Member of Parliament for Córdoba and, between 1986 and 1993, a Member of the European Parliament. Since then, he has held positions including Spanish Ambassador to Morocco (2004-2010), Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union (2010-2011), and Minister of Agriculture for the Regional Government of Andalusia in two separate periods (1993-1994 and 2012-2013).

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