On October 17 (Tuesday), a group including Director Mbuli Charles Boliko of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office in Japan visited Soka University’s Central Education Tower “GLOBAL SQUARE” and delivered a lecture commemorating October 16 as “World Food Day.”

　In his lecture, while sharing information about the roles of the FAO within various UN institutions, along with providing an overview of global food and agricultural situations in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Director Boliko referred to food loss in particular, which can occur due to leftover food when people eat out and the abandoning of food when the freshness date expires. He shared that lessening food loss is an immediate task that can lead to the improvement of food situations around the world and that if 3 billion people could realize the impact caused by even one mouthful of leftover food, they could understand the huge loss that can be incurred. He relayed the problem that is occurring in today’s society and that, by changing everyone’s awareness and actions, the amount of food loss can be decreased.

　After the lecture, Director Boliko met with President Yoshihisa Baba, International Director Masaru Osanai, and Chief of the Peace Research Institute Hideki Tamai, sharing that the FAO is currently actively engaged in fostering a young generation of capable individuals and that in recent years, it is placing emphasis on its cooperation with various universities. The FAO has agreements with some universities in Japan as well and is also accepting internships. Director Boliko shared his hopes to also establish good cooperative relationships with Soka University.