World Food Forum: FAO Director-General encourages young change-makers to adopt healthy diets for a healthy planet at YUNGA School Assembly

Rome – The youth of today are the change-makers to end hunger, create a better food future for everyone, and build a more environmentally friendly world QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), told attendees of the World Food Forum’s Youth and United Nation Global Alliance (YUNGA) School Assembly event. 

Part of the Youth Forum of World Food Forum, the hybrid event was held at FAO’s Rome headquarters and attended by pupils and teachers from Rome, along with students connected online from all over the world. 

The Director General stressed that food access and security cannot be taken for granted. He shared his own experience of going to bed on an empty stomach, which motivated him to end hunger as a lifelong goal.   “We are the lucky ones,”  Qu told the young audience, “to be able to make food choices while many people across the world are facing hunger and do not have any choices at all”.

He emphasized the vital importance of youth engagement in contributing to a healthy planet by adopting healthy diets. “I truly believe that you are the generation that can make our world a better place for us, and all the living beings that are on this earth.”

Qu said young people need to “prepare themselves first”: acquire knowledge to understand the complexity of the world and develop expertise to be capable of helping others. Passion and love towards others, combined with strong physical and psychological strength, would enable youth to “change how your schools, family, and friends behave and act”.

To walk the talk, Director General told the Youth Assembly would help give examples of how to make the right food choices, and to illustrate how to become a food champion to inspire others to also make the right choices.

Inspiring stories, knowledge-sharing, and insightful discussion were part of the day’s lively proceedings as was a line-up of special speakers who come together to raise awareness for young people to do their part for a healthy planet. 

Also sharing the stage was Pernilla Ivarsson, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden to FAO, who highlighted the importance of knowledge and education for the adoption of sustainable lifestyles. 

Yael Rubinstein, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Rome-based UN agencies, introduced the Israeli school campaign on the Sustainable Development Goals, in close collaboration with FAO. Seven Israeli school groups won the prize this year and one of them connected virtually today, describing their creative solutions for transforming sugarcane into ethanol.

Other special guests included World Food Forum Champion Sophie Healy-Thow from Ireland. Based on her own experience as a young scientist, she praised innovative technology’s role in boosting productivity and the World Food Forum for empowering youth to interact with policy-makers. George Harrison, a youth author and climate change activist, presented his book We Can Save the Planet on what children can do to combat environmental degradation, highlighting the vital importance of youth in sustainability. In addition, FAO nutrition experts delivered presentations to students on how to choose healthy food and minimize food waste and loss.

Besides the panel discussions and speeches, the School Assembly event featured a fun quiz in which young participants were tested on what they have learned about healthy diets. To celebrate the winners and conclude the event, youth musician Kaye Katcher awarded the audience with an amazing musical performance.