Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Opening of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2).
The UN Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2) kicked off on Monday July 24th at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome with a high-level opening ceremony attended by over 20 heads of State and Government, and a strong call for accelerating action to transform global agrifood systems.
The three-day high-level event is convened by the United Nations Secretariat and hosted by Italy, in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP), with the objective of taking stock of the progress achieved since the first UN Food Systems Summit in 2021. The opening ceremony was led by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as the convenor of the event, delivered the keynote speech underscoring the dire global food security situation.
SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary- General of the United Nations:
“Global food systems are broken, and billions of people are paying the price. More than 780 million people are going hungry while nearly one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. More than three billion cannot afford healthy diets.”
The Secretary-General of the UN urged the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative.
SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary- General of the United Nations:
“The Russian Federation and Ukraine are both essential to global food security. They have historically accounted for roughly 30 per cent of global wheat and barley exports, a fifth of all maize, and more than half of all sunflower oil. For my part, I remain committed to facilitating the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and to deliver the food security that every person deserves. I call on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, in line with my latest proposal. I urge the global community to stand united for effective solutions in this essential effort.”
The UN chief asked for a massive investment in sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient food systems; for government and businesses to work together to build systems that put people over profit, and explore new ways to lower the cost and increase the availability of healthy food for all, and to reduce food systems carbon footprint to help end the senseless war on our planet and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary- General of the United Nations:
“Let’s keep holding each other to account, and learning from one another. Let’s transform food systems for the future, and ensure that every person, in every community and country, has access to the safe and nutritious food they need and deserve. Let’s not forget, for that developing countries to be able achieve these goals it is absolutely essential to massively scale up debt relief and guarantee long-term investments for those countries to be able to overcome the asphixy there are currently facing.”
What is UNFSS+2's goal:
The UNFSS+2 brings countries together to review commitments made during the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, fostering progress and identifying priorities for food systems transformation. The event, hosted by Italy in collaboration with Rome-based UN Agencies, emphasizes the role of sustainable food systems in achieving critical SDGs. The UNFSS+2 will take place in Rome from 24 – 26 July 2023.
