FAO counts the European Union among its 194 members alongside 193 countries

Background

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its stated goal is to achieve food security for all and to make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO has 194 members - 193 countries and the European Union - and it works in over 130 countries worldwide. The European Union is therefore a member in its own right, alongside the member countries. Its headquarters is at Rome, Italy, and besides the headquarters it keeps a decentralized network of Regional, Subregional, Country and Liaison Offices. The regional offices it lists are the Regional Office for Africa, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa.