Dominican First Lady Becomes the Second Woman to be Appointed Extraordinary Ambassador to the FAO

The title of Extraordinary Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was bestowed upon Dominican First Lady, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, making her the second woman to hold this title in the history of the organization.

“struggle for the eradication of hunger on this planet by being at the forefront of the global effort to eradicate poverty …¨

At the ceremony, which took place in the Morocco Hall/King Mohammed V of FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, the Dominican First Lady reiterated her commitment to combat malnutrition and to mobilize society in a campaign against hunger.

In her speech, after receiving the certificate of her ambassadorial appointment, Mrs. Cedeño de Fernández said that she sees her her role in this organization as a “struggle for the eradication of hunger on this planet by being at the forefront of the global effort to eradicate poverty especially during these times when new challenges of food security threaten more than a billion people.”

Moments later, speaking in the Press Room to world representatives of the FAO, Cedeño de Fernández said that a world without hunger is still a dream. “This time of crisis has produced a level of social, economic and political changes recently unknown to humankind. We now, therefore, have the option of transforming this crisis into an opportunity, using our ingenious ideas, creativity and human sensibility to find ways to promote a new socio-economic order founded in solidarity, fraternity, cooperation, social justice and protection of the environment.”

Debido a la crisis global económica y financiera, que destruye empleos e inversiones, según un informe de la FAO, se prevé que en el 2009 haya 105 millones de malnutridos en el mundo.

“On the occasion of the World Summit on Food Security and World Food Day 2009, we should reflect on the statistics and, above all, on the human beings who are suffering this painful situation.

A recent FAO report states that, as a result of the world economic and financial crisis that destroyed many jobs and investments, there are now, in 2009, as many as 105 billion malnourished people in the world.

Cedeño de Fernández took the opportunity to call on the international community to join together to make “real and tangible efforts, not just temporary hand-outs, but real structural changes that are essential to confront world hunger.”

Mr. Diouf also made a formal announcement about the World Summit on Food Security which will take place next month. The goal of the summit is to eradicate hunger once and for all and to forge a wide-reaching general agreement on the total and sustainable extirpation of world hunger by the year 2025

“On the occasion of the World Summit on Food Security and World Food Day 2009, we should reflect on the statistics and, above all, on the human beings who are suffering this painful situation. We should especially be thinking of women who are hungry today. We should think of the 10 million people who die every year because they cannot find enough food to sustain their bodies,” said Mr Diouf.

The Extraordinary Ambassadors to the FAO are appointed from among the organization’s prominent members or dignitaries of royal lineage, former heads of state and government as well as from among their respective spouses who have demonstrated, at home and internationally, a strong commitment to the causes promoted by the FAO and who have chosen to dedicate their efforts in the struggle against hunger and poverty.

The main goal of this nomination is to step up the FAO’s efforts to attract the public’s attention to the unacceptable situation and the fact that, although the world produces a great abundance of food, more than 850 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. On a world scale, this means that nearly one person in seven is chronically hungry – one in five of them in the developing world.

In this vein, it is noteworthy that Paraguayan First Lady María Gloria Penayo de Duarte was appointed to be the first female Extraordinary Ambassador to the FAO on October 16, 2005.

The function of yet another FAO program, the Goodwill Ambassadors Program, is to foment the vision of the Organization and raise awareness about the importance of striving for a world without hunger. The Ambassadors, illustrious men and women with talent and passion, have expressed their desire to contribute to raising global awareness of the noble work and main goal of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: a world without hunger.

Each Goodwill Ambassador of the FAO is unique. Nevertheless, they all share basic common characteristics: international fame, irreproachable reputations, personal as well as professional respectability, a demonstrated commitment to the objectives and ideas of the FAO. Their role includes being defenders, spokespeople and representatives of the Organization.

At this event with the Dominican First Lady, a series of Goodwill Ambassadors were also appointed, including such renowned people as: Fanny Lu, Carl Lewis, Pierre Cardin and Anggun Cipta Sasmi, who make up part of a list of 25 in all.

At this event with the Dominican First Lady, a series of Goodwill Ambassadors were also appointed, including such renowned people as: Fanny Lu, Carl Lewis, Pierre Cardin and Anggun Cipta Sasmi, who make up part of a list of 25 in all.