UAE President bestows Second Class Order of Zayed II on FAO Director-General

ROME, (Pakistan Point News - 27th Jun, 2019) President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has bestowed the Second Class Order of Zayed II upon José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, in appreciation of his efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and global food security.

Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, presented the medal to the FAO Director-General during a ceremony at the Sheikh Zayed Media Centre at the FAO headquarters in Rome, as part of the Year of Tolerance, and on the sidelines of the 41st FAO Conference.

Almheiri conveyed the UAE's thanks and appreciation to José Graziano da Silva, for his efforts to promote the FAO's substantive agenda connected to sustainable agricultural development and food security.

For his part, da Silva expressed his deep appreciation and thanks to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, noting the prominent role the UAE President plays to ensure agricultural development both regionally and internationally.

He also thanked H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Chairman of the board of the Khalifa International Award for date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, for their continued support and innovative initiatives that have enabled the FAO in attaining its objectives.

Omar Obaid Mohamed Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Italy, and Fatima Obaid Al Kalbani, the UAE’s Permanent Representative at the FAO, were present during the ceremony, along with senior officials and representatives.