Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems awarded
Rome [ENA] Since 2018, 24 new Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in 12 countries have been designated. They represent not only stunning natural landscapes but also agricultural practices that create livelihoods in rural areas while combining biodiversity, resilient ecosystems, tradition and innovation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is hosting a ceremony to award
certificates to the 24 most recently designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. The event, on May 22 , will be accompanied by an exhibition and a series of immersive experiences in recognition of their crucial role in preserving biodiversity and nurturing time-honoured approaches to sustainable transformation of our agrifood systems. From 12:00 to 13.30 CEST, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu will present the award certificates to representatives of the systems, located in Brazil (1), China (4), Ecuador (2), Iran (2), Italy (2), Japan (2), Korea (2), Mexico (1), Morocco (2), Spain (3), Thailand (1) and Tunisia (2). They are the latest GIAHS sites to have been designated by FAO since the last awards ceremony held by in 2018.
To complement the awards ceremony, events will include an exhibition featuring all the new GIAHS sites, a Tasting Event of foods and agricultural products from the new sites and a GIAHS immersive experience allowing visitors to travel to GIAHS sites around the world through a multimedia video show. The ceremony will also feature a high-level session from 11:00 to 11:45 with keynote speakers including: QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO; Tetsuro Nomura, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan (video message); Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Morocco; Leila Chikhaoui, Minister of Environment, Tunisia (video message) ;
Luigi D’Eramo, Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sovereignty, Italy ; Zurab Poloilikashvili, Secretary general, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)(video message); GUANG Defu, Permanent Representative of People’s Republic of China to FAO ; Miguel Garcia Winder, Permanent Representative of Mexico to FAO; Miguel Angel Fernandez-Palacios Martinez, Permanent Representative of Spain to FAO .