Liaison office directors give insight into their work



Liaison office directors give insight into their work

‘What’s most important is that you have to believe in what you do’

Ahmad: 'coordination with other international organizations is essential'

Liaison offices play a critical role in helping develop and introduce FAO policies across different parts of the world.

Staff work with FAO Members and external partners, and monitor developments as they affect nutrition, food and agriculture.

We spoke with the directors of the five liaison offices to find out more about their work and day-to-day challenges.

Manzoor Ahmad, director, Liaison Office with the United Nations, Geneva

Before joining FAO, in 2008, I was Pakistan’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organization. I was involved in the Doha Round trade negotiations, where I came to appreciate the role that FAO plays in informing the debate on international agricultural trade. Prior to representing Pakistan at the WTO, I was head of the Customs Department of the country. Earlier, I served in the World Customs Organization in Brussels.

An increased volatility in food prices and its implications for the world’s poor has brought FAO into the limelight. The success of our work in this regard depends on how well it’s coordinated with other international organizations. This, along with the role that FAO is playing in addressing humanitarian crises and climate change, means that coordination with other international organizations in Geneva is essential.

The range of issues in Geneva is evident in the breadth of our activities. In the past few months I have spoken at various events and fora, and briefed parliamentarians from Bhutan, among others. 

In the coming weeks we will be speaking to visiting French farmers and a group of students from Germany. The ability to share the work of FAO with such a wide range of stakeholders and others enables us to extend the reach of the Organization and its impact.

The core of our work, however, is to provide information and analysis to developing country missions in Geneva on matters of food and agriculture, in particular issues pertaining to the ongoing negotiations on agriculture. The depth of FAO’s analytical capacity makes this all the more rewarding.

Our other major activity is to participate in the emergency and relief activities coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We love seeing FAO staff on mission in Geneva and we try to assist them however we can.

Making FAO more effective and transparent through the current reform process will allow us to carry out our mission well into the future.

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