Global Summit on Food Security Panel Discussion on the Role of Science and Technology to accelerate progress towards Food and Nutrition Security Statement

Global Summit on Food Security

 

Panel Discussion on the Role of Science and Technology to accelerate progress towards

Food and Nutrition Security

 

Statement

By

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

 

20 November 2023

 

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Harnessing the power of science and innovation is key for food security and nutrition, and the foundation for progress and innovation.

 

For this reason, science and innovation are at the core of the FAO Strategic Framework for the next decade, and key accelerators for meeting our aspiration of the Four Betters: better nutrition, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

 

Science, Technology, and Innovation are intrinsic to the transformation of global agrifood systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable,

 

And for leveraging opportunities to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. 

 

Unfortunately, progress to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition is stagnant in many parts of the world and has even reversed in the most vulnerable countries.

 

Overlapping crises such as the climate crisis and ongoing conflicts are all placing progress towards the achievement of SDG2 (Zero Hunger) at risk,

 

And making food availability, accessibility, and affordability unreachable for those who need it most.

 

Now, more than ever we need more, better, and targeted investment and advances in science, technology, and innovation.

 

We need to produce more to feed a growing population, with less inputs to safeguard the environment.

 

At COP28, FAO will launch a Global Roadmap for the simultaneous achievement of SDG2, while not breaching the 1.5 Celsius degree threshold.

 

To achieve this ambitious agenda, we will need to make trade-offs and difficult decisions, which will require new innovations and science-based evidence for informed decision-making.

 

Many innovative investments and partnerships already exist.

 

For example, the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative, co-led by the United States of America, the African Union and FAO, can help reverse biodiversity loss, increase crop resilience, and mitigate the effects of crop production on the environment.

 

FAO is using innovative applications such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and diverse data sources for the high-quality data and information needed.

 

Digital tools developed by FAO are being adopted to improve early warning, risk forecasting, biosecurity, and mitigation measures for health threats within the One Health approach.

 

Science, technology, and innovation can be a powerful engine to end hunger and malnutrition, and to boost climate action,

 

But we also need transformative governance, and we must strengthen the science-policy interface for greater policy coherence, shared ownership, and collective action.

 

Now is the time for political leadership and bold action for zero hunger and ending malnutrition, leaving no one behind.

 

I thank you.