FAO Opens Rome Forum With Focus on Global Food Security
The FAO has opened its annual World Forum in Rome, bringing together international leaders to discuss food security, innovation and investment. Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is among the Latin American leaders featured on the agenda.
International leaders gather in Rome for the FAO’s annual World Forum on food security and agrifood systems. Photo: @FAODG
October 12, 2026 Hour: 4:36 am
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The weeklong gathering brings world leaders together to discuss food security, agrifood systems and investment, with Latin America prominently represented.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) opened its annual World Forum in Rome on Monday, bringing together international leaders to discuss food security and the transformation of global agrifood systems, with Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez among the participants.
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Held at FAO headquarters under the theme “Innovate Today. Feed Tomorrow,” the forum runs through Oct. 16 and aims to advance the transformation of global agrifood systems through science, innovation and investment.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu delivered the opening address as he entered the final year of his term. A high-level panel followed, featuring heads of state and government participating in person or remotely to discuss their countries’ capacities and constraints in ensuring food security.
Latin America has a prominent place on this year’s agenda, with leaders from across the region scheduled to address the gathering. Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez arrived in the Italian capital on Sunday at the head of an official delegation that includes Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia and the ministers of food and communication, among other officials.
Delcy Rodríguez was welcomed by Máximo Torero, FAO’s chief economist and the forum’s coordinator. Her planned address is expected to focus on the human right to food, food sovereignty and the impact of unilateral coercive measures on Venezuela’s agricultural production.
Other Latin American participants include Ecuadorian Vice President María José Pinto. Peru’s new president, Keiko Fujimori, and Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel are scheduled to deliver virtual messages.
The opening program also features Lesotho’s King Letsie III, Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader.
Video addresses are also scheduled from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
Panels, debates and working meetings will continue throughout the week, with the forum concluding on Oct. 16, which marks World Food Day. The closing program will include messages from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Pope Leo XIV as the gathering seeks to strengthen international commitments to combating hunger.
