ROME, JUNE 10 – The Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Emanuela Del Re opened a videoconference meeting of the Group of Friends
on food security and nutrition of which Italy is president stressing that the COVID-19 health crisis could turn into a food crisis especially in Africa and in the Small Island Development States. “We need to intensify our efforts to accelerate the global debate on food value chains and our systems approach to nutrition”, she said during the meeting attended by the President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and the Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed.
“Two months ago we gathered this group thinking that only collective international action could contribute to solve the ongoing global crisis”, said Del Re: “We must now intensify our efforts in preparation of the 2021 Word Food Systems Summit. It must be a significant event, with concrete results: one inclusive platform that mobilizes all the significant international players. As pointed out by the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Conte, Italy is strongly committed to the success of the Summit”.
Del Re added that “both the Italian G20 presidency and COP 26, which Italy will co-host together with the UK, will prioritize the creation of resilient and sustainable food systems. We must remember that the current health crisis deepens the ongoing food crises. As President of this group, it is my duty to invite you all to commit, together with the relevant players, to build or rebuild, sustainable food chains”.
The Deputy Foreign Minister thanked the Rome-based UN agencies – FAO, WFP, IFAD – for their crucial role in the process: “We must achieve what world leaders have imagined for 2030. We can accelerate towards the ‘Zero Hunger’ goal, proceeding in a coordinated and cohesive way”. (@OnuItalia)
