On what is celebrated worldwide as the International Day of Human Spaceflight, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet was today appointed United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the food and agriculture (FAO).
Pesquet will help the FAO raise public awareness of the importance of transforming the world's agri-food systems, making them more resilient, inclusive, efficient and sustainable in order to cope with the challenges of persistent and growing hunger and environmental protection and of the planet's biodiversity.
In conferring the title on Pesquet, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu noted that, in light of the hunger data, which signal an increasing phenomenon (there are almost 690 million people who are currently suffering from hunger and, according to the latest estimates , the Covid-19 pandemic could throw another 132 million people into a similar situation), the road to ordinary administration is no longer viable.
"We need the support of every citizen. We need science. And, above all, we need concrete actions," added the Director General. "Thomas Pesquet offers us a unique perspective of its kind: the point of view of space".