Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, founded on 16 October 1945 to lead international efforts to defeat hunger. It serves as a neutral policymaking forum and develops partnerships across food and agriculture, working with all parties concerned with these sectors. Its mandate is pursued through a membership of 194 - 193 countries and the European Union - and operations in more than 130 countries worldwide.

FAO's work is organised around the transformation of agrifood systems towards greater efficiency, inclusivity, resilience and sustainability. Its Strategic Framework supports four objectives - better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life - and contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The organisation's focus spans food and agriculture, agrifood systems, food security, sustainable agriculture and nutrition.

As a multilateral body operating across more than 130 countries, FAO works within the institutional and normative framework of the United Nations system. Its stated commitments include partnership across the food and agriculture sector and a principle of leaving no one behind, applied through work aimed at efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable systems.