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UN agricultural agency bestows awards in the fight against hunger

UN agricultural agency bestows awards in the fight against hunger

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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has honoured a group of three journalists, two partner organizations and two of its own field personnel with awards in recognition of their contributions to the effort to stamp out world hunger.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has honoured a group of three journalists, two partner organizations and two of its own field personnel with awards in recognition of their contributions to the effort to stamp out world hunger.

The awards were presented by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf over the weekend at the agency's Rome headquarters, at the opening session of the biennial FAO Governing Conference.

The A.H. Boerma Award for journalism on world food problems was presented jointly to Giampaolo Cadalanu, a reporter for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica and two reporters with the Wall Street Journal of the United States, Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman.

Additionally, two FAO field officers, Patrick Evans (forestry) and Heiko Bammann (agriculture) were each presented with a B.R. Sen Award, conferred to FAO field officers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the area to which they are assigned, Cambodia and Pacific Islands region, respectively.

The Margarita Lizárraga Medal, awarded to organizations or individuals who have served with distinction in the application of FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, was presented to the multilateral Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP), whose membership includes Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the United States, Vanuatu and Venezuela.

Honours also went to Cuba's Instituto de Investigaciones en Fruticultura Tropical (IIFT), which was presented with the Edouard Saouma Award for its implementation of an FAO technical cooperation project (TCP/CUB/0065 - Recuperación de los Frutales Tropicales) aimed at boosting fruit production on the island.

The Saouma Award was established in 1993 to recognize external FAO partner institutions that have excelled in the implementation of Technical Cooperation projects funded by the agency.