FAO Press Statement on the General Assembly Adoption of World Bee Day

 

FAO Press Statement on the

General Assembly Adoption of World Bee Day

20 December 2017, UNHQ

Remarks by Ms. Marianna Kovacs, Senior Liaison Officer,

FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations

 

 

FAO welcomes the adoption of the General Assembly resolution to designate 20 May as World Bee Day.

 

FAO would like to express its appreciation for the Government of Slovenia and to its Permanent Mission to the United Nations for their leadership in promoting World Bee Day and apiculture as an important contributor to food security.

 

FAO is proud to have supported this process. Formal discussions on World Bee Day began in 2016 at the FAO Regional Conference for Europe, continued at the FAO Committee on Agriculture and at the FAO Conference in July 2017, and then moved to New York where consultations took place at the Second Committee before World Bee Day finally being officially proclaimed today by the General Assembly.

 

For centuries, bees have labored the world’s fields without gaining much recognition for their contributions to food production.

 

Bees play a crucial role in increasing crop yields and promoting food security and nutrition. Without bees, we could lose a variety of food such as potatoes, pepper, coffee, pumpkins, carrots, apples, almonds, tomatoes, just to name a few. In short, without bees a world without hunger cannot be achieved.

 

Yet, the number of bees and other pollinators are declining and some species are being driven towards extinction by diverse pressures.

 

World Bee Day recognizes the importance of these tiny helpers and will increase awareness of the need to protect them.

 

It is hoped that World Bee Day will prompt all countries to adopt "pollinator-friendly" approaches towards farming and allow the public to learn about the important roles of bees and other pollinators as they make consumption choices.