The Organization now has 190 Members
The Russian Federation has taken up membership of FAO by sending a letter accepting the Constitution of the Organization to Director-General Jacques Diouf more than 60 years after FAO’s foundation.
In his letter, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Serguei Lavrov informed Dr. Diouf of his country’s acceptance of the Constitution of FAO and Russia’s willingness to carry out the obligations of a Member of the Organization.Dr. Diouf said: “I warmly welcome the Russian Federation’s historic decision to take up its membership of FAO. Russia is a major agricultural economy and membership of FAO will have advantages both for itself and for the Organization as a whole.” The decision means that FAO now has 189 member countries and one member organization, the European Community, following the admission of the Russian Federation. FAO, following the practice of the United Nations, recognized the right of the Russian Federation to take on the rights of the former USSR.Hot Springs Conference
The USSR, as one of the founders of FAO, was listed in the Constitution as a nation eligible for original membership in the Organization. Original membership is accorded to the nations represented at the 1943 Hot Springs Conference in the USA, at which 44 governments decided to set up a permanent organization in the field of food and agriculture.
The letter informing FAO of the acceptance of the Russian Federation of the Charter of FAO was delivered to Dr. Diouf by Mr. Alexey Meshkov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Italy.
Before becoming a member of FAO, the Russian Federation had the status of Observer.