Jose Graziano da Silva, currently Deputy Director of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has been elected FAO's next Director-General in a closely-fought contest on Sunday The race for the top job saw da Silva edging out rival contender former Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos by 92-88 votes. He will now succeed Jacques Diouf of Senegal as FAO's eighth Director-General on January 1 next year. “Jose Graziano da Silva, who has served as a senior regional official for FAO since 2006, will take up the post of DG on January 1 next year after beating five other candidates during voting today at the agency's (FAO's) headquarters in Rome," a U.N. statement said. The Brazilian is the first South American to head the U.N. body and his term will run through until July 31, 2015. However, he could run for a second four-year term if he so chooses.
