Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO’s efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

Our three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

3,400 staff members are working for achieving the goals in over 130 countries and regions as well as at the Headquarter in Rome, Italy.

The FAO Liaison Office in Japan was established in 1997 and is based in Yokohama. It undertakes a series of activities aimed at information sharing and awareness-raising in the area of food security and nutrition and promoting collaboration between FAO and the people of Japan on issues pertaining to food and nutrition security around the world. As such, the office constantly interacts with key ministries, national and international agencies, NGOs, schools, universities and research centers, private companies and the public at large to facilitate information exchange, mutual understanding and cooperation.

Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims at eradicating hunger and malnutrition in all forms and achieving food security for all by 2030. However, the number of hungry population is on the rise, estimated to be 690 million in 2019. Not only hunger but also various forms of malnutrition, including obesity, are facing the countries around the world. To solve these challenges, furthering global solidarity and international cooperation are essential.

For many years, the Government of Japan has been one of the top contributors to the regular budget of FAO, thereby greatly supporting international efforts to promote sustainable food production, to raise levels of nutrition in developing countries, especially in rural areas, and to strengthen the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises.

Furthermore, Japan has extensive knowledge and technologies which would be the key to the transform towards food systems. The country hosts 11 sites of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), designated by FAO, and actively promotes the introduction and development of new technologies and innovation in the field of food and agriculture.

The stronger partnership with Japan is of critical importance in ending hunger and malnutrition in the world and accelerating our efforts towards sustainable society. From Japan, the FAO Liaison Office intends to continue working with all stakeholders to further promote international cooperation by mobilizing financial resources and facilitating knowledge exchange and technology transfer, and to strive towards the world which leaves no one behind.