Today is World Food Day and although there are celebrations around the world, the official program took place in Rome according to the following schedule. You can also listen to some short sound bites from the newly appointed ambassadors of FAO using links after the schedule below.
Assembly of guests in the Green Room
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations opens the ceremony
Screening of a video feature on the World Food Day/TeleFood theme, “Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue”
Address by the Director-General
Address by His Excellency Giovanni Alemanno Minister of Agricultural and Forestry Policies of the Italian Republic
The Director-General awards the World Food Day Year 2005 medals to the three first prizewinners of the World Food Day poster competition organized by the United Nations Women’s Guild
The Director-General introduces the newly appointed FAO Ambassadors
Brief interventions by newly-appointed FAO Ambassadors
Musical Presentation
The Director-General closes the ceremony
New Ambassadors:
1. Beatrice Faumuina has been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. She has been New Zealand’s top ranking track and field athlete for a number of years, won 10 national titles between 1993 and 2005, and is Ambassador for Oceania of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). This is what she declared as she accepted her new title from FAO Director-General, Mr. Jacques Diouf. 
2. Ronan Keating is newly nominated FAO Goodwill Ambassador. With over seventeenth million album sales, the Irish pop singer admits that he has been given much; but, as he was receiving his new title from FAO Director-General, Jacques Diouf, in a special ceremony in Rome, Ronan Keating said it is his duty to give back and make a difference.
3. The third new ambassador is Paraguay’s First Lady, Ms Penayo de Duarte. She is a strong supporter of FAO’s campaigns against hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity in Latin America. She believes that “hunger is one of the most violent forms of aggression against human rights”. In her country, she has played an active role in various social, health and human development programmes in favour of women, vulnerable people and street children in Asunción and other parts of Paraguay, with particular attention to families living in extreme poverty. No audio currently available.