Bahamas FAO Ambassador, HE Winston Pinnock Pays Courtesy Call to FAO Director General
7th December, 2030
(L-R) HE Winston Pinnock, Bahamas Ambassador to the FAO and Qu Dongyu, Director General of the FAO
Bahamas Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), His Excellency (H.E.) Winston Pinnock paid a courtesy call on the office of the Director General at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy on the sidelines of the FAO Council 174th session on 5 December 2023.
During the courtesy call, Ambassador Pinnock presented a 50th Independence commemorative book on behalf of the Bahamian government to the FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and discussed matters concerning The Bahamas and the Caribbean region as it relates to the UN body.
The ambassador expressed the Caribbean region’s appreciation for the overall support received from FAO’s Assistant Director General and regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mario Lubetkin, and for his presence at the Caribbean Ministers of Agriculture and the FAO meeting that took place in Jamaica in September this year.
In the discussions, the ambassador indicated that the Caribbean region faced significant challenges functionally as a member of the Latin American and Caribbean region ( LARC ) including language barriers and the fact that both the Caribbean and Latin America had unique differences.
Ambassador Pinnock also updated the Director General on the Caribbean region’s request for the Latin American and Caribbean group to ensure that the Caribbean be guaranteed a permanent seat on the FAO’S Council which will be rotated among CARICOM member countries moving forward.
Ambassador Pinnock presents Director General Yu with a commemorative book
The Director General stated his support for the region’s position in seeking a permanent seat on FAO’S Council and advised Ambassador Pinnock of his intention to make an official visit to the Bahamas in the new year in order to strengthen relations between the FAO and the region. It was noted that the Director General initially attempted to visit the Caribbean while in the region during the pandemic, however, flights were a challenge at the time.
At the close of the meeting, the Ambassador recalled that there was an agreement to establish an FAO office in The Bahamas, informing that the country was in the process of working on the legal framework agreement in this regard. He also recalled that The Bahamas would be partaking in the FAO’s Hand in Hand Initiative in 2024 and would continue discussions with the office of the FAO’s chief economist to assist in the process.
An official letter was sent to the Director General from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirming his visit to the country in the new year.