UNFSS+2 Plenary Session 1: Food Systems Transformation in Practice – Successes, Challenges and the Way Forward - Opening Remarks

UNFSS+2

Plenary Session 1:

Food Systems Transformation in Practice – Successes, Challenges and the Way Forward

Opening Remarks

By

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

Tuesday 25 July 2023

 

Excellences,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

 

Achieving the SDGs is only possible if we transform our agrifood systems. 

 

We know our agrifood systems can bring benefits for people, planet and prosperity, especially for low and middle income countries.

 

Their transformation offers great hope and great potential. We need to find opportunities and solutions, and take action to move forward. The question is how do we translate agrifood systems transformation into concrete actions? That’s why we need a debate among all of us, to share ideas.

 

I know that all of you are working to implement change. You are grabbing opportunities, you are advancing good practices. You are finding solutions to problems. But you are also facing challenges.

 

By working together and sharing experiences we can address these challenges and convert them into opportunities for change, to break down barriers to implementation means we will need to do things differently – we need to change our business model, we need to change the way we work together.

 

FAO continues to advocate for food and agriculture to be recognized as part of an inter-related system. We are all partners working together, collectively and in coordination to transform global agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable, to support achieving the SDGs, and for Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life – leaving no one behind.

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

Efforts to transform global agrifood systems cut across a number of sectors including agriculture, the climate crisis, biodiversity, trade, and nutrition. But often these diverse agendas are not aligned. 

 

Bottlenecks in governance processes and policies often hinder collective and coherent action, resulting in a gap between policy expectations and their impact on the ground. 

 

At FAO we are addressing these challenges through our commitment to working as ONE FAO, to optimize resources, maximize outputs and achieve tangible impacts at scale. We are also proud to support the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub in their efforts to bring the UN system together, and this event is a reflection of our collective work.

 

I know that at the country level there is fragmentation between institutions, resources, policies, and partners, sources of knowledge, innovation and technologies. While many solutions exist they are often split up into numerous, overlapping and disjointed efforts, without synergies.

 

So first, we need to increase coordination efforts and strengthen coordination mechanisms to address these challenges and align efforts.

 

To change our business model, we also need to work differently by linking short-term and long-term efforts – we need to integrate short-term action into long-term strategies.

 

The global ‘new normal’ of multiple overlapping crisis has led to an increase in global hunger and food insecurity between 2021 and 2022, to a much higher level compared to pre-pandemic levels, and there are many places in the world facing serious and deepening food crises.

 

While short-term action is necessary to address these challenges, it should not compromise people’s health, their prosperity and our planet in the longer term. We need to ensure a holistic and inclusive approach to agrifood systems governance and policy making.

 

And a third opportunity is to actively seek synergies in solutions. For example, greener cities not only help improve productivity, but lead to better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

 

Addressing food loss and waste leads to greater efficiencies for the economy, improving access to healthy diets, efficient use of our water and soil, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

I urge you to seek these synergies.

 

We need to work collectively in science and innovation, data, finance and governance, and other related sectors.

 

For this reason, I established the World Food Forum to provide a platform for sharing science and innovation, for attracting investments, and to rally the youth and Indigenous People as change agents for the transformation of global agrifood systems.

 

To help us better understand the challenges facing us through an agrifood systems lens, and to act in a focused and holistic manner in addressing them for an effective and successful transformation.

 

Thank you.