Water is life. Water is Food. Leave no one behind. World Food Day 2023 commemoration in Brussels

The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels marked World Food Day together with partners, colleagues and friends of FAO on 16 October during a commemoration that took place in the Royal Museum of Natural History in Brussels.

With the participation of more than 110 guests, and with colleagues connecting from the Middle East and Africa, speakers shared water-related experiences and explored the two extremes of water: scarcity and floods. 
Raschad Al-Khafaji, FAO Brussels Director welcomed all guests and speakers and stressed the critical role of water for food security. “We need to manage better and not take for granted this precious and finite resource”, he said. 

A special video message by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu followed. Dr QU noted the importance of water in leaving no one behind at this critical juncture for global food security. “More than one third of today’s world population lives without having access to safe water” the Director-General reminded the participants, and added that “to make every drop count, we must consume and manage water more efficiently.”

As per tradition, the other Rome-based Agency present in Brussels, World Food Programme (WFP), joined the commemoration. WFP Director Frederick Lee-Ohlsson delivered special remarks speaking passionately about the water challenges in communities that suffer from the devastating consequences of wars around the globe. 

The keynote address was delivered by the Water Envoy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands Meike van Ginneken. Van Ginneken recognized the important role of water in helping in the transformation of agrifood systems throughout the world and illustrated with concrete examples how innovation and science are key tools for this.

The audience then had the opportunity to explore real-life challenges and solutions from field projects in Iraq, Cameroon and Senegal. 

Colleagues from the FAO Iraq office headed by FAO Representative in Iraq, Salah El Hajj Hassan joined the commemoration virtually from Basra, one of the most water-scarce regions. He presented key FAO projects on water in the country and together with European Commission’s Head of International Cooperation in Iraq Barbara Egger, gave a strong signal of the importance of the EU-FAO partnership in the field.

David Kerespars, Head of the DG ECHO office in Cameroon and Charlotte Fontaine thematic Expert in the DG ECHO office in Senegal, stressed the links between humanitarian aid, resilience-building, anticipatory action and water management.

Providing the closing remarks to the event, UN Brussels Director and Representative of the UN System to the European Union, Camilla Brueckner, reminded us that pressures on the water systems are intensifying, and how the international community considers water a key element in the achievement of the Agenda 2030.

This was followed by the children choir of the British School of Brussels performing songs around the theme of water; a touching moment enjoyed by all participants. 

A light lunch served in the stunning gallery of the dinosaurs of the Museum concluded the event. The recently awarded GIAHS site of the traditional vineyards of Soave in the Italian Veneto region graciously presented regional wines for the audience to taste.

The World Food Day commemoration kicked off a week-long campaign of activities in Belgium, organized by the FAO Brussels Office and partners. You can read about our activities here and on our website.  

See photos of the event and the WFD outreach campaign in Belgium here.

You can learn more about World Food Day here.