Ronan Keating appointed UN goodwill ambassador
He is the first Irish man to be accorded the honour by the FAO, which was founded 60 years ago with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, improve agricultural productivity and better the conditions of rural populations.
The former Boyzone star made a trip in June of last year that was to change his life. He visited farmers and families in Ghana and other developing countries and was shocked at the sight of poverty and observed that unfair trade laws were destroying livelihoods.
“This isn’t about people at home putting their hands in their pockets. This is about joining a campaign to get our governments to use their position on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to change things,” he said.
Keating joins 23 other FAO goodwill ambassadors from sport, music and the arts in a wide range of countries including Brazil, Lebanon, Italy and Senegal.
Paraguay’s First Lady María Gloria Penayo de Duarte and former world athletics champion at discus throwing Beatrice Faumuina (New Zealand) were also honoured at yesterday’s ceremony.
In a letter to the singer, Food Minister Brendan Smith congratulated him on his appointment and noted that the wide-ranging nature and nationalities of the goodwill ambassadors was testament to the fact that concerted international efforts are required to combat world hunger.
“It is an honour for this country that you are the first Irish person to be chosen as a goodwill ambassador to the organisation. It is also a testament to the role that Ireland and its citizens have played towards combating world hunger, poverty and under-development in agriculture and rural development,” he said.
The Department of Agriculture and Food pays an annual subscription to support the work of FAO, which amounted to nearly €900,000 in 2005. It also provides extra-budgetary funding for selected projects.
