Russian Permanent Mission to FAO, WFP and IFAD

🇷🇺 November 4 – Russia's National #UnityDay and a Day of Russia’s Military Glory #OTD Russia commemorates the liberation of Moscow from Polish-Lithuanian forces in 1612 – a turning point in overcoming the Time of Troubles, one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history. At the heart of this struggle for the future of the entire nation was the Second People’s Militia, raised in Nizhny Novgorod under the leadership of Kuzma Minin and commanded by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. Following the collapse of the First People’s Militia, a new volunteer force began to assemble in the autumn of 1611. Inspired by Patriarch Hermogen’s call to defend the Orthodox faith and the Motherland, the people of Nizhny Novgorod rallied around Minin, contributing money, weapons and supplies. Nobles, merchants, Cossacks, townspeople and peasants joined a common cause: to free their country from foreign invaders and occupation. ⚔️ By late summer 1612, the militia had reached Moscow, where the Polish-Lithuanian garrison held the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod. Together with other Russian forces, it defeated a relief army led by Hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, preventing vital supplies and reinforcements from reaching the besieged garrison. The decisive breakthrough came in the autumn. Russian forces stormed Kitay-Gorod, leaving the occupiers confined to the Kremlin. Cut off from relief and weakened by hunger, the remaining garrison surrendered soon afterwards. ☝️Moscow was liberated. This victory paved the way for the restoration of Russian state authority. In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanov as Tsar, establishing a dynasty that would rule for more than three centuries. 4️⃣1️⃣4️⃣ years on, the triumph of 1612 remains a symbol of national unity, courage and the Russian people’s determination to defend their homeland. 🎥 © Russian Military Historical Society

🇺🇳 On October 24, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations entered into force. The date is celebrated as United Nations Day. In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, the leaders of the three Allied Powers – Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill – agreed to convene the San Francisco Conference, where 50 countries signed the UN Charter on 26 June 1945. The establishment of the UN marked the beginning of a new era in human history. It was a natural consequence of World War II and reflected the international community’s determination to prevent such bloodshed from ever happening again and to resolve conflicts through consensus and compromise. #UNCharterIsOurRules: Russia consistently advocates strengthening the central and coordinating role of the UN in world affairs. Strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the Charter is essential to building a more peaceful, prosperous, genuinely just and equitable world order. 🎙 From the address by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the plenary session of the XVI BRICS Summit in the Outreach/BRICS Plus format (24 October 2024): The principles of the [UN Charter] <...> form the foundation of interstate relations and international law. The United Nations is called upon to continue playing a central role in maintaining peace and security and promoting sustainable and steady growth. The founding fathers of the United Nations envisioned it as a centre for harmonising the actions of nations. 👉 The role of the UN in the modern world was aptly described by Vitaly Churkin, an outstanding Russian diplomat who served as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2006 to 2017, in his remarks: The UN has demonstrated its ability to adapt to the transformation of the international system. At this time of turbulence in world affairs, it is important to preserve the Organisation’s authority, which rests on an enduring and truly democratic principle of functioning – the sovereign equality of all states, with no distinction between those who lead and those who follow. Yet today, the Organisation is experiencing a deep systemic crisis, exacerbated by the increasing politicisation of the Secretariat’s work. Russia’s position as regards the future of the UN and possible reforms was outlined by Sergey Lavrov in his address to the General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (New York, 26 September 2026): Our principled position is that reform of the Security Council must not entail allocating any additional seats to Western countries, especially Germany and Japan, which have embarked on a path of militarisation and revanchism. We exclusively support increasing the representation of Asia, Africa and Latin America. We support Brazil and India as candidates for permanent seats, while simultaneously – and I wish to emphasise this – ensuring that the interests of the African continent are met, in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. ❗️ We will continue to make every effort to fully restore the UN’s authority and standing.

Russia Presents Domestic Food Products at the “From Seeds to Foods” Exhibition in Rome! From 8 to 12 October, the “From Seeds to Foods” exhibition was held at the Circus Maximus in Rome in conjunction with the World Food Forum. 🍯 As part of the event, the Russian Federation, with the support of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, organized a tasting of Russian food products at the Europe and Central Asia Pavilion. 🥞 The Russian stand showcased a diverse range of products reflecting the richness and distinctive character of Russia’s culinary traditions. Exhibition visitors had the opportunity to discover honey from the Republic of Bashkortostan, Altai tea, confectionery, traditional Russian gingerbread (pryaniki), and other Russian food products. 🇷🇺 The Russian Federation’s participation in the exhibition provided an opportunity to present Russian food products to an international audience, highlight the diversity of regional culinary traditions, and contribute to strengthening international cooperation in the field of food.

🇺🇳 On 15 October, the first-ever ceremony of the “FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development”was held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, on the sidelines of the World Food Forum. The Award is presented as part of the celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer to recognize women’s contributions to strengthening, transforming and improving agrifood systems at the local, regional, national and global levels. More than 600 candidates from 131 countries took part in the competition. This makes it all the more meaningful to us that one of the award recipients was Russian national Natalia Sukhanova. In addition to developing an environmentally sustainable livestock farm in the Voronezh Region, Russia, she is implementing infrastructure and socially significant projects in rural communities. 🏆 This year, she was also named one of the 54 winners of the “Leaders of the Agro-Industrial Complex” competition, organized by the Russia – Land of Opportunity Presidential Platform. Her achievements have now received international recognition as well. ❤️ We extend our heartfelt congratulations to N.Sukhanova on this well-deserved award and wish her continued success and many more significant achievements.

🗓️ On 12–14 October, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Alimov participated in the World Food Forum, held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome.  Established in 2021, the Forum has become one of the largest international platforms for exchanging views and identifying optimal ways to ensure global food security and strengthen equitable international cooperation in the field of advanced agricultural practices. Participants include representatives of UN Member States, major agribusinesses, the scientific community and civil society organizations.  In the address during the Science and Innovation segment, Alexander Alimov reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to develop mutually beneficial partnerships and share its accumulated scientific expertise and technological solutions with countries committed to constructive cooperation. He identified expanding developing countries’ access to modern scientific advances and innovations as one of the key priorities of international sectoral cooperation. ☝️ Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that technological development must not become a source of global inequality; on the contrary, it can serve as one of the tools for eliminating it.  He also highlighted the Russian Federation’s financial and expert contributions to international development assistance in the agri-food sector through United Nations system organizations.

Russia remains an important guarantor of global food security. Despite all the challenges in the economic, logistical, trade and geopolitical spheres, Russia continues to supply agricultural raw materials and food products to 160 countries worldwide.

🗓️ On 13 October, on the sidelines of the World Food Forum in Rome, Alexander Alimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, held a working meeting with Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).  The meeting featured a substantive exchange of views on a broad range of issues on the international agenda relating to sustainable agricultural development and FAO reform initiatives. The parties discussed in detail various areas of bilateral cooperation with the Organization, including joint projects in developing countries and across the Eurasian region.  The Russian side emphasized the importance of strengthening equal and mutually beneficial multilateral partnerships within FAO to enhance global food security. It was underlined that politicizing the Organization’s work by countries representing the global minority is unacceptable.  ☝️ Russia remains a responsible partner of FAO. The projects we fund through the Organization are aimed at strengthening the agricultural and agro-industrial capacities of partner countries and addressing their pressing socio-economic challenges.

🗓️ On 13 October, on the sidelines of the World Food Forum in Rome, Alexander Alimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, met with Carl Skau, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).  The parties reaffirmed their shared objectives in ensuring global food security. They exchanged views on the implementation of joint projects, including the supply of Russian food products and the development of national school feeding systems in target countries.  Particular attention was paid to the prospects for further development of cooperation between Russia and the WFP amid funding shortages and growing humanitarian needs worldwide.  In view of Russia’s return to the WFP Executive Board as of 1 January 2027, the parties confirmed their readiness for constructive and substantive engagement within this governing body, which has a limited membership.  🤝 The parties agreed to maintain established channels of direct dialogue in the interests of people in need of humanitarian assistance around the world.

⚡️ Russia presents its experience in combating agricultural land degradation at the World Food Forum in Rome! A high-level technical session entitled on Restoration of degraded agricultural lands: Innovation from policy to practice for water and food security was held at FAO headquarters. Marina Afonina, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, presented Russia’s measures to preserve soil fertility. Preserving soil fertility is one of the key prerequisites for food security and the development of agricultural exports. 🔸 Approximately 123 million hectares of agricultural land are located in arid climate zones. These areas span 30 regions, home to around half of Russia’s population and accounting for more than 70% of the country’s agricultural output. 🔸 According to remote sensing data, approximately 34 million hectares of pastureland are affected by degradation. Climate change is an additional risk factor. The average annual temperature in Russia is rising faster than the global average. Russia is implementing a comprehensive set of measures to protect agricultural land: – Expanding water supply and irrigation in agricultural areas. – Constructing, reconstructing and modernizing irrigation and drainage systems. – Surveying more than 12 million hectares annually to identify potential threats at an early stage. These measures help maintain agricultural productivity, strengthen the resilience of agricultural production and reduce the risks of drought and soil degradation. 🔸 Marina Afonina also emphasized the importance of international cooperation. Russia is ready to strengthen collaboration in land restoration, monitoring and technology exchange. 🔸This will help bring together countries’ practical experience to preserve land resources and strengthen global food security.

🇷🇺🌾 Russia continues to rank among the world’s leading agricultural producers. Despite the challenging circumstances we face today, Russia’s agro-industrial sector continues to operate steadily and reliably, stated Vladimir Putin in congratulatory address marking Agricultural and Food Processing Industry Workers’ Day. This year, we will once again achieve a good grain harvest, comfortably exceeding the 100-million-tonne mark. Production of meat, milk, eggs and many other agricultural products has remained at a good level as well. The state will certainly continue to provide the necessary assistance to agricultural producers, helping them address fuel, transport and marketing issues, and ensure access to seeds and planting material. We will continue to provide systematic support for the agro-industrial sector as a whole, given the ambitious objectives it faces.

Russia's position was taken into account in the G20 statement on the inadmissibility of using food trade as a weapon: 🔗 en.economy.gov.ru/material/n…

🇷🇺🌲🌍 On the margins of the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO), the Russian delegation, headed by the Deputy Head of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz), held bilateral meetings with FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi and FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Forestry Division Wu Zhimin. 🤝 The discussions covered a wide range of issues, including forest resource monitoring and assessment, reforestation, forest fire prevention and response 🔥, biodiversity conservation 🦌 etc. 🌲 Russia is home to the world’s largest forest resources and has the largest share of the world’s boreal forests. 🇷🇺 Russia stands ready to continue sharing its expertise, strengthening international exchange of knowledge and experience, and actively contributing to FAO initiatives aimed at the conservation and sustainable management of forests 🌳🤝

☕️ For millions of people, coffee is not simply a beverage, but a small morning ritual. Waking up, enjoying the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and only then starting the day. Sound familiar? 🇺🇳 Recognizing both coffee’s global importance and the people behind it, the United Nations General Assembly designated 1 October as International Coffee Day through resolution 80/248. ✍ In the framework of this initiative, governments, international organizations, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, business and academic communities can share knowledge and contribute to the development of a fairer, more sustainable, and environmentally responsible coffee sector. 📌 Coffee supports food security mainly through income, employment and resilient rural economies. 📌 Coffee is not, by itself, a nutrition intervention. Its contribution to ending hunger depends on whether the sector strengthens livelihoods, reduces inequality and improves access to diverse and nutritious food. 📌 This reflects FAO’s account of coffee’s role in rural livelihoods, employment and poverty reduction. A fairer coffee economy should leave households better able to meet their needs and plan for the future.

🇺🇳 From 28 September to 2 October, the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is hosting the 28th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO), one of the key international platforms for dialogue on forest policy. 🌳 The current session focuses on the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of forests, as well as their contribution to addressing climate, economic and food-related challenges. 🌲 The agenda of COFO 28 covers a broad range of practical issues. Participants are discussing forest and landscape restoration; strengthening the contribution of forests and trees to food security and the resilience of agrifood systems; forest fire prevention and management; the development of the forest bioeconomy; as well as improving the assessment of the status and trends of forest resources. 🇷🇺 The Russian delegation is participating in the session, headed by A.Panfilov, Deputy Head of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz). The delegation includes representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz), the All-Russian Research Institute for Silviculture and Mechanization of Forestry (VNIILM), and the Permanent Representation of the Russian Federation to FAO. I.Golubovskiy, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to FAO, also attended the opening of the 28th Session of COFO. 🍃 The Committee’s meetings are being held alongside World Forest Week, which is traditionally organized in conjunction with COFO. Its programme complements the intergovernmental meetings with thematic discussions, presentations and side events involving representatives of governments, international organizations, the scientific and expert communities. ✍🏼 COFO and World Forest Week bring together political, expert and practical dialogue on the future of forests in one forum – from their conservation and restoration to the sustainable use of forest resources and enhancing the contribution of the forest sector to sustainable development.

🇷🇺🤝🇲🇲 Russia Delivers More Than 530 Tonnes of Sunflower Oil to Myanmar Another shipment of Russian humanitarian assistance has been delivered to Yangon through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP): more than 530 tonnes of sunflower oil fortified with vitamins A and D. Representatives of the Embassy of Russia visited WFP storage facilities in Yangon and discussed the schedule and routes for distributing the humanitarian assistance across the regions of the country. The Russian side reaffirmed its readiness to continue providing support to Myanmar on a bilateral basis and through relevant United Nations Agencies.

🇺🇳 On the final day of the FAO Global Conference for actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems, held on 21–23 September at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, a ceremony was held to designate and renew the status of FAO Reference Centres. 🇷🇺 Among the institutions that had their status confirmed were Russian specialized research organizations. Certificates renewing the status of FAO Reference Centres were presented to: 🔹 Federal Budgetary Institution of Science “Central Research Institute of Epidemiology” of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (FBIS CRI of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor) - FAO Reference Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR); 🔹 Federal State-Financed Institution “Federal Centre for Animal Health” (FGBI “ARRIAH”) of Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) - FAO Reference Centre for Zoonotic Coronaviruses; 🔹 Federal State Budgetary Institution “The Russian StateCenter for Animal Feed and Drug Standardization and Quality” (FGBI “VGNKI”) of Rosselkhoznadzor - FAO Reference Centre for Quality Control of Vaccines and Veterinary Medicinal Products. 🇷🇺🤝🇺🇳 For a number of years, Russian institutions have been important partners of FAO, contributing to scientific and technical expertise, the exchange of specialized knowledge, and the development of international expert cooperation. Special recognition was accorded to the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, which received an award in the category “Contribution to long-term resilience in agrifood systems, including by advancing equity and fair outcomes”. The renewal of the Reference Centre statuses, together with the recognition of the contribution made by the Russian institution, demonstrate the relevance of the professional expertise of Russian scientific organizations within international cooperation on One Health - an approach that takes an integrated view of the interconnections between the health of people, animals, and the environment.

17 September 2026 - On the first day of the St. Petersburg Fisheries Forum, the FAO-VNIRO round table discussion, “The State of affairs in the field of world fisheries and aquaculture in 2026”, was held. The session was moderated by Anastasia Podolyan, Representative of the Federal Agency for Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo) to the FAO Headquarters in Rome. “In 2024, global production of aquatic products reached 235 million tonnes. Aquaculture production exceeded 100 million tonnes. These figures are impressive, but at the same time, the question is becoming increasingly pressing: how can we produce more without jeopardizing the resource itself and the future opportunities of the sector?” said Anastasia Podolyan in her opening remarks. Oleg Kobyakov, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, reminded participants at the round table discussion that FAO has long been a reliable partner of Rosrybolovstvo and the organizers of the Fisheries Forum: “We have participated in all eight previous editions. I also invite you to visit our stand, G63, where you will find a wide range of interesting publications translated into Russian”. “Russia is a major fisheries power. While we are still behind China in terms of absolute catch figures, we are ahead of other countries. There is room for further growth in aquaculture, as well as in terms of coastline, the scale of the economic zone and available resources. Russia’s contribution to global food security, in terms of supplying fish and fishery products, is substantial, and it will continue to grow in the foreseeable future”, said the Director of the FAO Office in Moscow. Kirill Kolonchin, Director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), also emphasized that presenting the report on the state of world fisheries and aquaculture and discussing the outcomes of the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries would be highly useful and significant for fisheries science. “VNIRO and FAO have been connected for a long time and fruitfully: even before Russia joined the organization in 2006, the institute annually transmitted statistics on catches and fish products”, Kirill Kolonchin recalled. “Since 1972, VNIRO has been a national partner of ASFA, a global information system and abstract database on aquatic sciences and fisheries established by FAO. There is an ASFA branch in Russia with 11 regional centers based on VNIRO branches, fisheries universities and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences - the system provides the scientific community with access to data on fisheries and helps to disseminate them”. At the suggestion of FAO, VNIRO prepared for the first time in Russia a study "Information on the inland waters of the Russian Federation, their status and potential as a food supplier and source of employment for the population." The work has been published in Russian and English.

🌍 “One Health”: From a Global Approach to Practical Solutions The Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems is being held at the FAO Headquarters in Rome from 21 to 23 September. 🇷🇺 Russia is represented at the event by experts from the Federal Budget Institute of Science «Central Research Institute of Epidemiology» of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, Federal State-Financed Institution «Federal Centre for Animal Health», and the Smolensk State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia. The conference focuses on the practical implementation of the One Health approach, which views the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems as interconnected components of a single system. The discussions address the prevention of emerging diseases, combating antimicrobial resistance, food safety, biodiversity conservation, and the resilience of agrifood systems. 🔬 Particular attention is being paid to cross-sectoral cooperation, scientific research and development, innovation, and investment, which make it possible to move from broad principles to concrete and measurable action. 🤝 The conference aims to bring together international efforts to strengthen the health of people, animals and ecosystems and enhance the resilience of agrifood systems - for the benefit of all.

🇺🇳 On the appointment of the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP)   On September 18, by the decision of the UN Secretary-General and the FAO Director-General Mr. Luke J.Lindberg of the United States was appointed to the position of the WFP Executive Director, after his candidacy received the consensus approval of the WFP Member-States, including Russia. The new Executive Director assumes office at a challenging time for WFP. He faces pressing tasks to strengthen the Programme’s capacity and authority, as well as to expand and diversify its funding sources. As a responsible donor of international development assistance, Russia is determined to render WFP all possible support in addressing these issues. The Programme remains our key partner and the main multilateral channel for providing food assistance to people in need.

📍 At the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev delivered a lecture titled “Russia’s Contribution to Ensuring Global Food Security” as part of the Znanie.Pervye federal educational marathon organized by the Russian Society “Znanie” 🌾 Today, Russia is one of the world’s key food suppliers. In recent years, Russia’s agricultural exports have amounted to around 100 million tonnes, exceeding $40 billion in value. Russia holds leading positions in the global supply of certain commodities: for example, one in every five tonnes of wheat exported on the global market originates from Russia. 🐟 Russia is among the world’s top five countries in terms of aquatic biological resource production. Every year, Russian fishermen harvest around 5 million tonnes, with approximately 2 million tonnes of fish and seafood products supplied to international markets. 🌾 Agricultural technologies aimed at enhancing the resilience of the farming sector are also being developed. In 2025, exports of Russian fertilizers, seeds, animal vaccines, and biotechnology products exceeded $16 billion. 🏫 Russian agricultural universities train highly sought-after professionals for the sector. These include bioengineers, geneticists and plant breeders, agricultural cybernetics specialists, agricultural drone operators, precision agriculture specialists, and managers of agritourism ecosystems. ❗️Dmitry Patrushev noted that the global agricultural sector is expected to continue growing over the next decade. The key task is to unlock the natural potential of crops and farm animals through the development of new varieties and breeds, the use of modern fertilizers and crop protection products, and improvements in animal feed.

🌾 Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut Attends Opening of Russia’s First Grain Museum 📍 Chelyabinsk – Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut attended the opening of Russia’s first Grain Museum, established in Chelyabinsk by the Soyuzpishcheprom association. The new multimedia museum brings together the history of grain production, the culture of healthy eating, and modern technologies. The exhibition is divided into three thematic halls: 🏺 The Past – tracing the history of grain from the Neolithic era to the present day. The exhibition features a watermill and a model of the first steam-powered mill on the Miass River. 🔬 The Present – an interactive laboratory where visitors can examine grain under a microscope and learn about modern technologies for grain storage and processing. 🚀 The Future – a journey into the year 2050, offering an insight into how human nutrition may evolve in the future. 🍽 The museum complex also includes the Zerno healthy food restaurant, a conference hall, and a dedicated space for culinary master classes. 💬 “The Grain Museum is more than just an exhibition. It is a space where the past, present, and future come together. History is the foundation that we must never lose sight of. At the same time, it is important to show how food is produced today, the significant amount of work that goes into it, and to highlight promising areas of development – from plant breeding and genetics to healthy and balanced nutrition. I am confident that this venue will help bring agriculture closer to the public and make it more accessible and understandable to people,” Oksana Lut said.