Türkiye promotes its first candidate for FAO director-general

Friday 25 - 20:15

By: Azzat Manal

Türkiye promotes its first candidate for FAO director-general

Türkiye is stepping up its campaign to secure the leadership of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, putting forward former Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker as the country's first candidate for the FAO director-general position.

Eker said the candidacy offers Türkiye an opportunity to bring its experience in agriculture and food security into a broader international debate. He has been meeting representatives of FAO member states as part of a diplomatic campaign ahead of the 2027 election, with Turkish officials also seeking support during high-level meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Eker previously served as Türkiye's minister of food, agriculture and livestock from 2005 to 2015, making him the country's longest-serving agriculture minister. He currently sits on the Presidential Agriculture and Food Policies Council and has continued to work on agricultural and food-policy issues.

According to Eker, he has held discussions with representatives of nearly 100 countries since the campaign began. Türkiye is seeking direct engagement with FAO member states eligible to participate in the election, while Turkish authorities are expected to intensify their diplomatic outreach as the vote approaches.

Food security is at the center of Eker's campaign. He has argued that access to adequate food should be treated as a fundamental human right and has linked food insecurity to broader challenges, including migration, displacement, conflict and instability.

He has also pointed to the apparent contradiction between global food production and persistent hunger. According to figures cited by Eker, hundreds of millions of people remain undernourished while food waste, obesity and unequal access to nutritious food continue to affect populations in different parts of the world. These challenges have increasingly placed food systems at the center of international discussions on development and security.

Eker has highlighted the importance of protecting food supplies in conflict-affected regions and of maintaining stable trade and transport routes. Disruptions in major maritime corridors and agricultural supply chains can affect food prices, availability and access well beyond the regions directly involved.

He also outlined the FAO's role in developing international standards, providing technical assistance to developing countries and supporting efforts to reduce hunger. The organization contributes to global food and agricultural standards through the Codex Alimentarius and maintains extensive data covering agriculture, livestock, fisheries and food systems.

For Türkiye, the candidacy is also an effort to increase its representation within major international institutions. The country has not previously held the FAO director-general position, and Eker has described the campaign as a new step in Türkiye's international engagement on agriculture and food security.

The election is scheduled to take place during the FAO Conference in Rome in 2027. FAO member states will choose the organization's next director-general, who will serve a four-year term. The current director-general, China's Qu Dongyu, was re-elected in 2023 for a second term that runs until July 31, 2027.

The FAO's governing structure includes 193 member nations, while its Council and Conference play central roles in the organization's decision-making process. The organization, headquartered in Rome, works with governments and international partners on food security, agricultural development, nutrition and sustainable food systems.

Türkiye's campaign therefore places food security, agricultural development and the resilience of global food systems at the center of its bid. The outcome of the 2027 election will determine the direction of the FAO's leadership for the following four-year period, as countries face continuing challenges linked to hunger, climate pressures, conflicts and disruptions to food supply chains.