ROME, ITALY — Qu Dongyu of China has been elected director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He received a total of 108 votes out of 191 during elections held during the FAO’s 41st conference in Rome.
Qu Dongyu currently serves as vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs for China. For the last 33 years, Qu Dongyu has worked in the agricultural and rural development industries to further develop China’s agriculture, eradicate global hunger and poverty and implement better sustainability practices.
The term of the new director-general, who will succeed Brazil’s José Graziano da Silva, will start on Aug. 1, 2019, through July, 31, 2023.
Qu Dongyu will be the FAO’s ninth director-general since the organization was founded on October 16, 1945.
The previous eight directors are as follows:
- Sir John Boyd Orr, United Kingdom, 1945-1948
- Norris E. Dodd, United States, 1948-1954
- Philip Vincent Cardon, United States, 1954-1956
- Binay Ranjan Sen, India, 1956-1967
- Addeke Hendrik Boerma, Netherlands, 1968-1975
- Edouard Saouma, Lebanon, 1976-1993
- Jacques Diouf, Senegal, 1994-2011
- José Graziano da Silva, Brazil, 2011-2019
The FAO is an agency of the United Nations with a goal of defeating hunger and achieving food security. The organization has more than 194 member states and works in over 130 countries.
