The Committee on Agriculture (COAG) is one of FAO’s Governing Bodies, providing overall policy and regulatory guidance on issues relating to agriculture, livestock, food safety, nutrition, rural development, and natural resource management. Established in 1971, the Committee has over 130 Member Nations and generally meets every two years, but may hold additional sessions if needed.
As FAO’s main technical advisory committee on agriculture, COAG is responsible for:
Conduct periodic reviews and appraisals, on a highly selective basis, of agricultural and nutritional problems, with a view to proposing concerted action by Member Nations and the Organization;
Advise the Council on the overall medium- and longer-term work programme of the Organization relating to agriculture and livestock, food and nutrition, with emphasis on the integration of all social, technical, economic, institutional and structural aspects dealing with agricultural and rural development in general;
Review, with similar emphasis, the biennial work programmes of the Organization and their implementation in areas falling within the competence of the Committee;
Review specific matters relating to agriculture, food and nutrition referred to the Committee by the Conference, the Council or the Director-General, or placed by the Committee on its agenda at the request of a Member Nation in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Committee, and make recommendations as may be appropriate;
Report to the Council and tender advice to the Director-General, as appropriate, on any other matter considered by the Committee.
Operating in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, the membership of COAG is open to all FAO members. It also welcomes applications for participation as observers from civil society and other organizations. The Committee is open to all Members which notify the Director-General in writing of their desire to become Members of the Committee and of their intention to participate in its work. The notification may be made at any time but not later than 10 days before the opening date of a session.
Sub-Committee on Livestock
The Committee on Agriculture (COAG) established the Sub-Committee on Livestock in October 2020, at its 27th Session, with a mandate to discuss and build consensus on livestock issues and priorities, and advise, through COAG, the FAO Council and the FAO Conference, on technical and policy programmes and activities needed to optimize the contribution of livestock, including poverty alleviation, food security and nutrition, and livelihoods, and the realization of the 2030 Agenda.
The Second Session of the COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock will be conducted as a hybrid event from 16-to 18 July 2024. Follow the Second Session of the Sub-Committee on Livestock here.
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