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Mr. Hiroto MITSUGI, who served as an assistant director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in the headquarters of Rome for four and a half years until December 2020, delivered a special lecture on the FAO’s missions and activities on June 18, 2024, in Professor Sachiko ISHIKAWA’s Kokuren-Nyuumon (Introduction to the United Nations) course. 

At the beginning of the lecture, students watched a YouTube video about deforestation in the last 50 years, learning the reality that environmental destruction has progressed faster than anticipated. While forests cover one-third of the land on the globe, the statistics show that deforestation is particularly prevalent in Africa and South America. 

Mr. Mitsugi stated that Asia’s forests are growing as a result of China’s reforestation efforts.

He also demonstrated the current situation in which deforestation occurs as a consequence of increased production of cacao, coffee beans, rubber, palm oil, and other commodities in order to secure more land for planting them. 

Mr. Mitsugi then explained the FAO’s missions and activities. The FAO analyzes the data on global food and agriculture, develops guidelines based on global standards, and conducts monitoring. 

The FAO additionally undertakes technical cooperation and capacity development projects.

In terms of the current global food crises becoming acute, Mr. Mitsugi discussed the research that shows that conflicts, poverty, and climate change are key drivers of the problem. Mr. Mitsugi stated that the food crises caused by the Ukraine-Russia war has passed its peak; however, farmlands in Ukraine have been destroyed due to land mines strewn throughout the country. 

The FAO is in responsible for monitoring approximately 10 percent of the SDG's 231 indicators.

 Mr. Mitsugi noted, whilst the food supply is sufficient for the entire world, the major problem is uneven distribution.