Press Statement
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
May 5, 2022 

Dr. Cary Fowler, a noted agriculturalist, has joined the Department of State as U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security. Best known as the “father” of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Dr. Fowler brings decades of commitment and a depth of experience leading multilateral efforts, including at United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Global Crop Diversity Trust.  He arrives at a time of unprecedented stress on global food systems, driven in part by climate change, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and conflict, most notably Russia’s brutal and unjustified attack on Ukraine and the resulting disruptions to global grain supplies.

The mission of the Special Envoy for Global Food Security is to advance U.S. food security, global hunger, and nutrition objectives, through diplomatic engagement with allies and partners in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora.  As such, Dr. Fowler will be critical to the Department’s efforts to respond to the current global food security challenges guided by the Administration’s Global Food Security Strategy 2022-2026 and Global Nutrition Coordination Plan 2021-2026. He will also serve as Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future initiative. He will consult widely with our partners nationally and internationally, including, partner governments, the private sector, academia, researchers, international organizations, civil society, and Congress.

I will count on Dr. Fowler’s strategic vision and advice as we advance efforts with the international community to address the many challenges to global food security, nutrition, and food systems.