During the first regular session of the WFP Executive Board, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Organizations in Rome was elected president by representatives of the Board’s 36 States Members. Ambassador Artur Pollok has taken this role as the first Pole in history. He succeed Shameem Ahsan from Bangladesh.

In his address, the Polish Permanent Representative thanked his predecessor for the hard work and dedication to the world’s largest humanitarian organization. At the same time, he declared his full commitment to continuing efforts to provide assistance to the most affected regions. “I will support the WFP’s efforts to extend aid to the most vulnerable countries, especially those affected by humanitarian crises,” he emphasised. “I would particularly like to support WFP efforts in providing assistance that facilitate communities to become self-sufficient and resilient to shocks.” added the new president.

During the same session Moroccan Youssef Balla was elected a Vice-President of the WFP Executive Board. 

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Artur Pollok – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Organizations in Rome. He represents Poland at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Ambassador Pollok holds a PhD in economics and was Deputy President of the Polish Economic Society in 2005–2015.

World Food Programme (WFP) – a UN agency established in 1963. Based in Rome, it is the world’s leading humanitarian organization set up to combat global hunger. The organization works to end hunger and malnutrition by providing such aid which will help communities become self-sufficient, instead of relying on food assistance. In October 2020, the WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson

 

Photo: Massimo Tartaglia/ WFP