Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina highlighted the impact of international conflict on agri-food systems during a World Food Day ceremony in Dhaka.
It was the third year in a row that she had made an address to mark World Food Day. Three ministers attended the event, namely Mohammad Shahab Uddin, Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change; Mr. SM Rezaul Karim, Minister of Fisheries and Livestock; and Mr. Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Minister of Food.
Minister of Agriculture Dr. Mohammad Abdur Razzaque was in Rome, Italy, accompanied by FAO Representative in Bangladesh Robert D. Simpson, to attend an Investment Forum as part of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative.
Saso Martinov, Senior Technical Advisor, delivered a speech on behalf of the Representative. He said that FAO appreciates the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, for its commitment to World Food Day.
With the theme ‘Leave no one behind: Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life’, this World Food Day is being marked in a year with multiple global challenges, including the ongoing pandemic, geo-political conflict, climate change, and rapidly rising prices.
All of these challenges are affecting global food security but Bangladesh has proved resilient and has continued to build on its impressive achievements.
Sadly, far too many people are still being left behind. With less than a decade to 2030, we are not on track to ending world hunger and malnutrition – in fact, we are moving in the wrong direction. The number of people facing acute food insecurity and requiring urgent life-saving food assistance and livelihood support continues to grow at an alarming rate. Last year, around 193 million people in 53 countries or territories experienced acute food insecurity – an increase of nearly 40 million people compared with the already record numbers of 2020.
Echoing these challenges, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the international community to stop war, food politics, and food waste, remarking that if a fraction of the money invested in manufacturing weapons was spent on food production and distribution then no one would go hungry.
In his speech, Saso Martinov highlighted FAO’s commitment to accelerating the pace of agricultural transformation in Bangladesh.
He said: “In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Food, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, FAO has this year continued to promote policy actions, digitalization, safe and environmentally-sound production, and market linkages, to the benefit of smallholder farmers and consumers. We remain focused on innovation and look forward to scaling up these successful initiatives.”