Two years after the holding of the Food Systems Summit, the UN and Italy have just announced the organization of a follow-up meeting called “UN moment to take stock of food systems”, planned in Rome in July.
The High Level Meeting (HLM) was announced on Friday in Rome by Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Antonio Tajani, with the aim of promoting food security as part of the efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Furthermore, the assembly will take place from 24 to 26 July 2023, at the premises of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), constituting the first global follow-up to the Food Systems Summit 2021. , where more than 50,000 people, including 77 Heads of State and Government, from 193 countries, pledged to accelerate and deepen the transformative power of food systems to fully achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
” I look forward to Italy’s leadership to bring stakeholders together to create evidence that transforming food systems is a critical accelerator of the SDGs “said Amina Mohammed, stressing that” more sustainable, equitable, healthier and more resilient food systems directly impact people’s lives and livelihoods as we strive to deliver a better future for people and the planet “.
Indeed, the HLM will be an opportunity for countries to showcase the various progress made at the national level since the Summit was held in September 2021, as well as their contributions to achieving the 2030 Agenda despite the current global context.
According to the UN, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet rose by an additional 112 million between 2019 and 2020, to almost 3.1 billion, as a result of soaring prices, particularly of foodstuffs.
On the other hand, Antonio Tajani warmly praised “ the decision of the UN to accept Italy’s offer to host and co-organize in Rome this UN Moment to take stock of food systems, together with the UN agencies based in Rome , the UN Food Systems Coordination Center and the wider UN system said Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Foreign Minister.
” Italy, with the strategic involvement of its strong and innovative agri-food sector, is committed to playing an increasingly active role in supporting the efforts of the international community to promote food security and transformative and innovative solutions for sustainable and efficient food systems worldwide “, he added.
The three-day HLM will notably recall the importance and central role of food system transformations in the global advancement of the SDGs, well before the Summit on these SDGs scheduled for September 2023.