Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

About the Committee:

The Food and Agriculture Organization is a specialized Agency of the UN that handles food security and sustainability across the globe, aiming to alleviate hunger and poverty worldwide. Established in 1945, the FAO is composed of 194 member nations, 2 associate members, and 1 organizational member (the European Union) and is responsible for international dialogue on food security, tracking and sharing information for agri-food systems, and fieldwork pertaining to food security in and out of crisis. In addition to facilitating international dialogue and data collection and sharing, it establishes and maintains various programs and initiatives in the field.

A LETTER FROM THE DaiS:

Greetings Delegates,

My name is James Aidala and I am glad to be your director for the committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization of MUNUM XXXVI. I am a senior in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts double majoring in Earth and Environmental Science and Political Science. I have participated in Model UN for 7 years now, and have been a rapporteur for the 2018 US Senate, and director of the World Trade Organization and International Labor Organization. I enjoy Model UN, but I also enjoy collecting rocks and minerals, playing Dungeons and Dragons, gaming, and writing. I am excited to see you all at a passionate and educational conference this year!

My name is Anushka Gangur and I’m excited to be your assistant director in the Food and Agriculture Organization committee. I’m a sophomore in the College of Engineering majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Material Science Engineering and a concentration in Biopharmaceutical Engineering. I’ve been involved with Model UN since eighth grade and served as a rapporteur in the King Ashoka’s Council committee at last year’s conference. Outside of school, I spend my time reading, biking, and listening to music. I’m really looking forward to putting together a fun, successful conference experience for everyone.

We will be excited to see your spirited efforts come January in the committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization on the topics of, as one can imagine, food security and agriculture. These issues have always been essential to the dynamics of the world and have faced increasing challenges over time. You will be discussing in committee both the short-term issue of maintaining food security during global disruptions (e.g. war, extreme weather, earthquakes, infrastructure failures, etc.) and the long-term necessity of adaptations of agriculture to climate change as systems will need to be able to fit new and rapidly changing weather patterns to survive. Every delegate will have a stake in these topics and a role to fill. We look forward to seeing your effort and passion for these issues form into creative solutions for the problems at hand.

If you have questions about MUNUM or the topics, please reach out to us at jaidala@umich.edu or agangur@umich.edu.

Best,

James and Anushka