Mission News

News from the Mission

In Malawi, the Future Belongs to the Organized

After an early morning departure from Tanzania we arrived in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe in a steady rain. The rain is not always favorable for travel but it was very welcome in Malawi after a drought during the 2012 rainy season impacted the maize crop and food security, particularly in the south.
Home Grown Success for Small Holder Farmers in Tanzania

January 25, 2013 -- Our journey started with an early morning flight into the Tanzanian city of Arusha, where we were greeted by the awesome sight of Mount Kilimanjaro, whose snow covered peak dominates the landscape. I was off on my first media tour as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies in Rome.
Remarks by David J. Lane U.S. Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations in Rome, Press Conference, Blantyre, Malawi

Malawi, January 16, 2013 -- Thank you all for joining Ambassador Jeanine Jackson, World Food Programme Deputy Director Baton Osmani, and USAID Mission Director Douglass Arbuckle and me today. As the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to share some thoughts with you.
"From the American People", U.S. Ambassador David J. Lane Leads Food Security Focused Media Tour to Tanzania

U.S. Embassy Tanzania, January 12, 2013 -- [...] He visited rural communities in and around Arusha and the Kilimanjaro Regions and in Mkruranga District in the Southern Growth and Agricultural Corridor (SAGCOT) to observe how the United States government and the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies collaborate to support farmers, businesses, and Tanzanian government officials improve food security and promote agricultural development.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies to visit Tanzania and Malawi

Rome, January 7, 2013 -- Ambassador David J. Lane, the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, will travel to Tanzania and Malawi from January 7 – 15, 2013. He will visit rural communities and observe how the United States and the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies collaborate to support farmers, businesses and government officials improve food security and promote agricultural development in these countries.

Ambassador David Lane Opening Remarks to the IDLO Assembly of Parties

Rome, December 13, 2012 -- “While the rule of law can often be perceived as a political, legal or technical matter, IDLO’s work demonstrates that it is much more than that. The rule of law and functioning legal institutions are vital for good governance, which is essential to development, peace and security. Weak legal and judicial systems foster corruption, undermine progress toward development and in eradicating poverty.” More….
Ambassador David J. Lane tells the XI Annual Worldwide Forum on Education and Culture in Rome that the global community must work together to solve critical humanitarian problems

Rome, December 6, 2012 -- David J. Lane, United States Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome (USUN) addressed an audience representing over 20 countries at the XI Annual Worldwide Forum on Education and Culture on November 29th in Rome.
Ambassador Lane urges students to continue to focus on global challenges at the celebration of 50 years of University of California Education Abroad Programs in Rome.

Rome, November 26, 2012 -- David J. Lane, the United States Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome (USUN) was honored to be a guest speaker at the 50th anniversary of the University of California Education Abroad Programs in Rome.
Ambassador Lane Remarks at November 2012 WFP Executive Board

November 12, 2012 -- [...] Madame Executive Director, the United States supports the approach you have outlined and we commend you for your bold vision and initiative to best position the WFP to meet the ever evolving threat of global hunger and food insecurity.
The United States Participates in the 39th Session of the Committee on World Food Security

October 24, 2012 -- David J. Lane, the Ambassador of the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome (USUN Rome), represented the United States at the 39th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) during World Food Week.
2012 McGovern Lecturer, Tony P. Hall, addresses “The Changing Face of Hunger”

Rome, October 23, 2012 -- USUN Rome’s 10th Annual George McGovern Lecture at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) featured Tony P. Hall, Executive Director of The Alliance to End Hunger. Tony Hall served twenty-four years of service as a U.S. Congressman and was Ambassador to the USUN Rome Mission from 2002-2005.
USUN Rome Team raises 2,290 Euros for the Horn of Africa, 2012 Hunger Run

Rome, October 21, 2012 -- For the seventh year in a row , USUN Rome joined the annual Hunger Run sponsored by the UN Agencies in Rome, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Biodiversity International, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Ambassador Cousin speaks about Women and Multilateralism at Women’s Leadership Conference in Bern, Switzerland

Ertharin Cousin, United States Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome, spoke about “Women and Multilateralism: Harvesting What We Sow” at an awards ceremony on March 6th that opened a women’s leadership conference in Bern, Switzerland.
Ambassador Ertharin Cousin joins Bill Gates at the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) 35th Governing Council

Rome, February 24, 2012 USUN Rome participated in the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) 35th Governing Council held in Rome February 22-23. The conference theme was, “Sustainable smallholder agriculture: feeding the world, protecting the planet.”
Opening Intervention by USAID/DCHA Assistant Administrator Nancy Lindborg WFP Executive Board First Regular Session

February 13, 2012 -- [...] Congratulations, Mr. President (Shobhan Pattanayak, Minister Counselor, Republic of India) and all the other newly elected members of the Executive Board Bureau. The United States looks forward to working closely with you to advance collectively our efforts against world hunger.
“World Food Prize Laureate 2003 Catherine Bertini Talks About the Vital Importance of Investing in Girls"

Rome, January 17, 2012 -- World Food Prize Laureate 2003 and Co-chair of the Global Agriculture Development Initiative for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Chair of the Council's Girls in Rural Economies project, Catherine Bertini
Improved Nutrition, Agricultural Development Helps Bring Hondurans Out of Poverty and Hunger

January 6, 2012 -- [...] One of the most exciting moments in my recent media tour of U.S. and UN food security projects in Honduras came in the middle of a lush vegetable field in the township of Las Pavas.
"Helping Guatemala Cultivate a Better Future" by Ertharin Cousin U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome

Guatemala, January 4, 2012 -- [...] I visited Quatro Pinos' vegetable production, processing, and marketing operation last month on a media tour of Guatemala as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations agencies in Rome.
Guatemala Media Tour Puts a Face on the Global Fight Against Hunger

December 15, 2011 -- Surrounded by a great group of international reporters, I traveled to Guatemala to help put a face on the global fight against hunger and highlight this small country's struggle to defeat endemic poverty and widespread food insecurity.
Statement by U.S. Ambassador Ertharin Cousin on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the World Food Programme

Rome, November 18, 2011 -- Today we celebrate the founding of the World Food Programme (WFP) 50 years ago, and take the occasion to renew our commitment to WFP’s mandate of saving, restoring and rebuilding lives around the world.
USUN Rome Senior Staff Address John Cabot University Students on International Organizations

Rome, November 16, 2011 -- Senior staff of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies (USUN Rome) addressed John Cabot University students on the functions of the three main Rome-based UN agencies – the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Ambassador Ertharin Cousin’s Remarks to the 27th ICCROM General Assembly

Rome, November 14, 2011 -- Mr. Director-General, Mr. President, distinguished delegates; I am honored to represent the United States Government at this 27th General Assembly of ICCROM, an organization of which the United States has been a proud member since 1971.
Opening Intervention by Ambassador Ertharin Cousin World Food Programme Executive Board Second Regular Session

November 14, 2011 -- [...] Let me join Brazil in recognizing the address of His Excellency President Napolitano as delivered by Ambassador Sebastiani, as well as the presence of High Commissioner Guterres. Their words today are a testament to their strong partnership with and high regard for WFP.
Unidroit Hosts Colloquium on Private Law and Agriculture

Rome, November 8, 2011 -- In a historic building just off Rome’s Piazza Venezia, a group of legal experts and government representatives gathered at the headquarters of UNIDROIT on November 8 for a colloquium to discuss private law aspects of agricultural production.
U.S. Team Raises Nearly €2,000 for 2011 Run for Food Race

Rome, October 16, 2011 -- Each year, to commemorate World Food Day, the three United States Missions in Italy – the U.S. Embassy to Italy, the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Agencies and the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See – join together to participate in FAO’s Run for Food race. The annual event serves as a reminder that nearly one sixth of all humanity is suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
2011 McGovern Lecturer, Roger Thurow, is ‘Raising the Clamor’

Rome, October 14, 2011 -- USUN Rome’s 9th Annual George McGovern Lecture at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) featured Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow on Global Agriculture and Food Policy at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
The United States Government participates in the Towards a Safer World conference on pandemic preparedness in Rome

Rome, September 15, 2011 -- This week in Rome, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Food Agencies in Rome Ertharin Cousin, and leaders from USAID, World Food Program, World Health Organization, and the United Nations System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC) joined over 150 experts from governments, UN agencies, civil society, the private sector and media –for the first annual “Towards a Safer World” Conference.
Ambassador Cousin Commemorates the 10th Anniversary of September 11th with students from Loyola University’s Rome campus.

Rome, September 13, 2011 -- On September 13, over 100 students, faculty and staff from Loyola University’s campus in Rome listened to Ambassador Ertharin Cousin’s moving remarks to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of September 11th. Ambassador Cousin poignantly told the students that “the rising democracies of today – like the ones rising up out of the Arab Spring – are different democracies from those that the United States has witnessed in the past.”
U.S. Response to Declaration of Famine in Somalia and Drought in the Horn of Africa

Washington, DC, July 20, 2011 -- The United States is deeply concerned by the humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa and today’s announcement by the United Nations that a famine is underway in parts of Somalia. The United States is the largest bilateral donor of emergency assistance to the eastern Horn of Africa.
U. S. Government Provides $1.5 million to FAO for Somalia Food Security Nutrition and Analysis Unit (FSNAU)

Rome, July 11, 2011 -- The United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), finalized an agreement to provide the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with $1.5 million to support the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) for Somalia.