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Your Excellency, Francisca Eneme Efua, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment, Republic of Equatorial Guinea,

FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu,

Honourable Ministers, Excellencies,

As the Chairperson of the Committee on World Food Security, it gives me immense pleasure to address you today here in Malabo, a city that is synonymous with Africa’s vision of a transformed agriculture that powers her socio-economic development.

Special gratitude to you Minister Eneme Efua, your Government and the people of Equatorial Guinea for the warm welcome.

Director-General QU Dongyu, I take this opportunity to once again assure you of our full commitment to work hand-in-hand with FAO and with the entire UN system, towards the goal we share of better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life; leaving no one behind.

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Excellences, ladies and gentlemen,

Nowhere else have we seen governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic like they did here in Africa. I commend you all for the leadership and fortitude you showed in the face of such a daunting challenge.

Regrettably, when we were starting to see light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic, we are now confronted by a senseless war in Ukraine. A war that is a systemic shock to global food security and nutrition, on top of existing conflicts, pandemics and climate change.

The impact of this war is already being transferred to hundreds of millions of people around the world through our interconnected food systems. Rising price of food, energy and fertilizers threaten the wellbeing of millions of people around the globe. The most vulnerable, poor and excluded people, including here in Africa, will be hit hardest. We will need to put all our efforts – in our countries, in all regions, and the international community, to face this crisis.

Given your countries commendable response to COVID-19, I believe Africa will show similar leadership to address the impact of this conflict on global food supply.

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Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I do not exaggerate if I say the future of Africa, the cradle of humankind, will be the cornerstone of sustainable global food security. The Continent faces a confluence of challenges and opportunities that should be addressed and harnessed simultaneously.

On one hand:

• Africa is now the region with the second highest number of hungry and malnourished people in the world after East Asia – about 282 people;
• The continent is one of the worst affected regions by climate change; and
• It continues to experience conflicts in different countries.

On the other hand, strengths and opportunities abound:

First, you have CAADP. Through the leadership of the African Union and NEPAD, CAADP offers what might be the most coordinated continental agricultural development blueprint harnessing the potential of your smallholder farmers and SMEs, supported by governments.

CAADP is not only a central component of African efforts like your bold Africa 2063 vision, but also of global efforts towards Sustainable Development Goals. The CAADP model inspires countries across the world and is heartening to see your countries put themselves through a transparent evaluation process through the biennial review process like the one you recently concluded.

Second, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) offers an opportunity of a lifetime for your countries to increase trade between themselves and grow prosperity. Food trade will be critical.

Third, the youthfulness of the continent should be looked at as a blessing. Your young people offer a transformative opportunity especially in the use of disruptive innovations to boost the continent’s agriculture.

Fourth, your boldness for sustainable development as showcased by your ambitious Great Green Wall.

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Excellencies,

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) - that I have the honour of chairing, is ready to support your work. Created in 1974 and reformed in 2009, the Committee serves as the food governance body of the United Nations where over 133 Members States of the UN that are members of the Committee - including most of your countries - and key stakeholders gather to coordinate global policies to address systemic and structural causes of hunger and malnutrition.

Since its reform 12 years ago, our governments have used the CFS platform to agree on a number of policy guidelines including: The Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests; Principles of Responsible Agriculture Investments; Framework for Action in Protracted Crisis; policy recommendations on climate change, on water, on connecting smallholders to markets and much more. Last year, we agreed on the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition and on Policy Recommendations on Agro-ecological and other Innovative Approaches.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

These guidelines are negotiated and agreed upon in an inclusive process by your senior officials in capitals and your representatives in Rome. They are your resources, for use to formulate national policies to fully unleash the potential of your family farmers and SMEs who are responsible for about 80% of the food we eat globally. They are the cornerstone of rural prosperity.

In addition, these guidelines will help you create sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems that provide decent work and livelihoods, end rural poverty, preserve and restore ecosystems, biodiversity, soils and capture carbon.

As global investors and consumers are increasingly seeking responsible investments in sustainable food systems, CFS policy tools will help you increase the competitiveness of African farmers and agribusinesses, unleash the advantage of the Free Trade Area and future continent-to-continent trade agreements.

Last but not least, CFS is working on policy guidelines to be endorsed this October for your use in empowering women and youth to fully realize their potential in agri-food as smallholder farmers and producers, workers, traders and SMEs owners.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The national pathways initiated by the UN Food Systems Summit are key to achieving all SDGs in an integrated manner. It is time for systems thinking and action including on food security and nutrition. Guided by national SDGs strategies, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs), your country-led pathways will attract climate and development finance.

The CFS platform is yours to connect your countries’ realities to global efforts. To present your National Pathways and national strategies, learn from each other and to connect with resource and technical partners. If any country in this region is not yet a member of CFS, I urge you to join us.

As I conclude, I warmly invite you, honourable ministers, to join your peers from around the world at the Annual CFS Plenary this October at the FAO Headquarters, in Rome.

Thank you, all