Director General
U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
Jacques Diouf is Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. He began a six year term in 1994 and was elected for another term in 2000. Before leading the FAO, Dr. Diouf was an Ambassador for the Senegalese Permanent Mission, the Secretary General of the Central Bank for West African States, and an Advisor to the President and Regional Director of the International Development Research Institute to name just a few of the important positions he has held in Africa and around the world.
Dr. Diouf received his BS and Master of Science from Ecole national d’agriculture, Grignon, and his PhD from the Faculte de Droit et de Sciences Economiques, Pantheon – Sorbonne, Paris, France. He is fluent in Wolof, French, English, and Spanish. Throughout his career, Dr. Diouf has received many academic honors and decorations and has been involved in a variety of international conferences as a world expert in food and agriculture.