Binay Ranjan Sen
Encyclopedia
Binay Ranjan Sen was an India
n diplomat (b. Jan. 1, 1898, Dibrugarh
, India--d. June 12, 1993, Calcutta, India). He served as Director General (1956-67) of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO). He drew on his experience as relief commissioner (1942-43) during the Bengal famine of 1943
to build the FAO from a data-gathering bureaucracy into a major force against world hunger.
He studied at the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta
and at the University of Oxford
. Sen joined the Indian Civil Service in Bengal
. His work as director general of food for all India (1943-46), convinced him that hunger
and malnutrition
were crucial issues in the modern world.
He took his concerns to the international stage as a member of India's first delegation to the UN (1947), as Indian Ambassador to the United States
, and several other countries including Italy
, Yugoslavia
, Japan
, and Mexico
. He worked on a variety of FAO projects before being named Director General in 1956. In 1960 Sen announced the Freedom from Hunger campaign, which led to the 1963 World Food Congress in Washington, D.C.
, attended by representatives from more than 100 countries.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n diplomat (b. Jan. 1, 1898, Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh is the headquarters of Dibrugarh district, Assam, India, and is the second largest city in Assam after Guwahati. It is situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, about north-east of Guwahati. It is the gateway to the three tea-producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sibsagar...
, India--d. June 12, 1993, Calcutta, India). He served as Director General (1956-67) of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
(FAO). He drew on his experience as relief commissioner (1942-43) during the Bengal famine of 1943
Bengal famine of 1943
The Bengal famine of 1943 struck the Bengal. Province of pre-partition India. Estimates are that between 1.5 and 4 million people died of starvation, malnutrition and disease, out of Bengal’s 60.3 million population, half of them dying from disease after food became available in December 1943 As...
to build the FAO from a data-gathering bureaucracy into a major force against world hunger.
He studied at the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
and at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. Sen joined the Indian Civil Service in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. His work as director general of food for all India (1943-46), convinced him that hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
and malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
were crucial issues in the modern world.
He took his concerns to the international stage as a member of India's first delegation to the UN (1947), as Indian Ambassador to the United States
Indian Ambassador to the United States
The Indian Ambassador to the United States is the chief diplomatic representative of India to the United States, housed in Embassy of India, Washington, D.C..-List of Indian Ambassadors to the United States:* Asaf Ali...
, and several other countries including Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He worked on a variety of FAO projects before being named Director General in 1956. In 1960 Sen announced the Freedom from Hunger campaign, which led to the 1963 World Food Congress in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, attended by representatives from more than 100 countries.