Binay Ranjan Sen

Binay Ranjan Sen's experience of food administration shaped a career that culminated in leadership of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. He entered the Indian Civil Service in 1922 and worked in Bengal, becoming director-general of food for the Government of India during the 1943 famine. He later served as food secretary before moving into diplomacy. ^{1, 5}

Sen was minister at the Indian embassy in Washington from 1947 to 1950 and returned as ambassador in 1951 after serving in Italy. When he presented his credentials to President Harry Truman in December 1951, he emphasized India's need for American cooperation to make its Five Year Plan succeed. His diplomatic service also included Yugoslavia and Japan. ^{1, 2}

Elected FAO director-general in 1956, Sen served until the end of 1967. He initiated the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, adopted by FAO's member governments in 1959 and launched in 1960. It sought both public involvement in the problem of hunger and practical research and development projects to improve food production and nutrition. His 1963 initiatives included a gathering of prominent international figures in Rome and the first World Food Congress in Washington. ^{3, 4}

Sen also helped establish the World Food Programme, working for approval by FAO and the UN General Assembly with American support. His administration expanded development studies, promoted long term agricultural planning, and established a joint FAO–World Bank investment program. When he died in 1993, FAO's council recalled these initiatives as changes that had widened the organization's practical role in food security. ^{5, 4}