Accreditation Ceremony of Mr. Philippe Ankers as FAO Representative in Tunisia

Tunisia, 19 April, 2019

His Excellency Mr. Sabri Bachtobji, Secretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, received Mr. Philippe Ankers who presented him his credentials as Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Tunisia.

On this occasion, the Secretary of State welcomed the long-standing and excellent relations of cooperation between FAO and Tunisia. He emphasized the important and strategic place of the agricultural sector in the national economy and for the food security of the country. For his part, Mr. Ankers thanked the Tunisian Government for the trust granted to him by accrediting the FAO Representative in Tunisia. He renewed the commitment of FAO to the program of cooperation with Tunisia which touches on important topics including water management, support to the olive-growing and artisanal fishing sectors, and the reduction of losses and waste of agricultural products.

During the discussion, FAO’s ongoing work on land management and improving the status of women in rural areas was also identified as very beneficial.

Mr. Ankers had already been appointed by FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva as Coordinator of the FAO Sub-Regional Office in North Africa, which is based in Tunisia and covers five Maghreb countries: Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya and Tunisia.

Mr. Ankers is of Swiss nationality and holds an advanced degree and PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Bern, Switzerland, and a graduate degree in Development and Environment from the University of London, UK.

His career began in October 1991 as a researcher and project coordinator at the International Trypanotolerance Center in The Gambia. From September 1997 to December 2000 he worked as a veterinary surgeon in Switzerland. From January 2001 to August 2004, he served as Regional Coordinator for Vétérinaires Sans Frontières in Kenya, then as General Manager of this same NGO from September 2004 to January 2008.

In February 2008, Mr. Ankers joined the FAO as an animal production official, before managing the animal production branch within the Animal Production and Health Division (AGA), from October 2011 to October 2015.

From November 2015 and until his appointment in Tunisia, Ms. Ankers served as a senior consultant on the rural poverty reduction program.