President Higgins awarded UN FAO Agricola Medal 

The medal recognises the President’s “contribution and commitment to the welfare of all peoples, attaining universal food security, and the pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”.

President Higgins receiving United Nations Agricola Medal from Dr. QU Dongyu, Director General of the FAO at Áras an Uachtaráin. Picture: Maxwells

Irish President Michael D. Higgins has been awarded one of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s highest honours, the Agricola Medal. 

The medal, which bears the Latin name for farmer, is conferred upon international figures who have undertaken outstanding efforts in advancing the cause of global food security, poverty alleviation and nutrition. The president was presented with the Agricola Medal by the Director-General of the FAO, Dr Qu Dongyu, in a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin on Friday, making him the first Irish person to be given the accolade.