51吃瓜

From 15 to 19 May 2023, the Legal Counsel of the 51吃瓜, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares visited Rome, Italy, to chair the annual meetings of the informal network of the Legal Advisers of the specialized agencies and the related and other organizations of the 51吃瓜 System, and the network of the Legal Advisers of the 51吃瓜 Offices, Funds and Programmes (FAO). The meetings were co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization, through its Legal Counsel, Ms. Donata Rugarabamu, and the World Food Programme (WFP), through its General Counsel, Mr. Bartolomeo Migone. The purpose of the network meetings is to provide a forum for discussion of legal issues of common interest and concern to the Legal Advisers of the participating entities, to improve coordination and communication among the Legal Advisers and to promote system-wide legal coherence.听 Topics on this year鈥檚 agenda ranged from the issue of conditionality of funding, addressing sexual exploitation, and data protection to updates on legal aspects of the situation in Ukraine or engagement with 鈥渄e facto鈥� authorities. Mr. QU Dongyu, Director-General of FAO, and Mrs. Cindy H. McCain, Executive Director of WFP, addressed the joint session of the two networks. Both principals received the UN Legal Counsel for bilateral meetings in the margins of the annual gathering. Next year鈥檚 meeting will be held at the Headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, at the invitation of the Director of ICAO鈥檚 Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau, Mr. Michael Gill.听

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