World Food Week: transformative partnerships for our agrifood systems take center stage at SDG Forum Brussels

With only seven agricultural seasons left before 2030, time is running out. If we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must act together and act decisively, now.
In the framework of FAO’s privileged partnership with Belgium, FAO Brussels Director Raschad 
Al-Khafaji addressed 700 participants at the opening session of the Belgian multi-stakeholder SDG Forum. 
In his intervention, which followed the opening statement of H.E. Zakia Khattabi, Belgian Federal Minister for Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal, Al-Khafaji reflected on the outcomes of the recent SDG Summit in New York, where agrifood systems transformation was reiterated as a powerful SDG accelerator. 
His speech also included other pressing issues that were highlighted at the SDG Summit, including financing for development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. All themes that were discussed throughout the Forum side-events.

SDGs and the food-climate-environment-biodiversity nexus: global development and local implications
 In addition to the intervention by FAO Brussels Director, FAO jointly with UNEP Brussels organized a side-event that presented facts and data around the nexus of food-climate-environment-biodiversity. Veronika Hunt Šafránková, Head of the UNEP Brussels Office, opened the event on behalf of both agencies, highlighting the intrinsic link between agrifood systems transformation, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-30), climate change and various environmental issues. 

FAO’s Office of Sustainable Development Goals was represented by Natalia Galat, who gave an interactive presentation on the SDGs progress and shared an overview of the recent global fora and outcome reports –the UNFSS+2, the SDG Summit, as well as the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2023-31. 

The event concluded with a panel discussion and a Q&A session. Members of the panel included: Mery Ciacci, International Relations Officer in the Unit of Green Diplomacy and multilateralism of the European Commissions’ (EC) Directorate General for Environment (DG ENV), who highlighted the different initiatives her DG is involved in and the strategic direction the EC takes. Professor Peter Goethals from Ghent University explained how more integrated tools and data are needed to provide policy makers with good scientific evidence on the interrelations of sectors. Representing the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Employers’ Group, Antje Gerstein presented her work on the exploratory opinion EU and Agenda 2030: strengthening the implementation of the SDGs. Ms Anneleen Malesevic, policy officer at the Belgian Federal Institute for Sustainable Development, showcased how the Institute coordinates Belgium’s strategic vision for long-term sustainable development. 

You can read more about FAO’s efforts to accelerate the 2030 Agenda here. 

To know more about how SDGs are central in FAO’s work, read on here. 

For more information on how FAO integrates climate change, biodiversity and the environment, please visit this webpage.

More information on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration can be found here.