High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2023 - Town Hall Meeting “Overcoming the crises, driving transformation for the SDGs, and leaving no one behind” - Statement

High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2023

Town Hall Meeting

“Overcoming the crises, driving transformation for the SDGs, and leaving no one behind”

Statement

By

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

10 July 2023

 

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

 

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

 

Taking stock of the progress on achieving the SDGs is becoming an increasingly painful matter.

 

In recent years, SDG Progress Reports have warned us that the world is off track to meeting most of the SDGs.

 

On 12 July, together with our partner agencies, we will launch the 2023 edition of the flagship report on State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI). It is a flagship publication from FAO together with other partners, SOFI, which sets out the number of people that faced hunger and malnutrition last year.

 

The report sets out that we are not advancing on the SDG 2 Zero Hunger target that we have set for 2030.

 

The number of people suffering from the food insecurity and malnutrition has been too high and for too long. Better and innovative solutions are urgently needed.

 

We need to transform our agrifood systems to meet the needs and demands of countries to ensure food security for all.

 

To do this, they should be transformed to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable.

 

Going forward, we must:

 

First: invest in those countries that are most vulnerable.

 

Improve their resilience.

 

And in addition to food aid, we must support local production of nutritious food. Currently only 8 percent of all food security funding in emergencies goes to assist agricultural production.

 

Agriculture aid is long term development and short term recovery.

 

Second: foster policies that increase productivity sustainably.

 

Transforming agrifood systems to deliver healthy and nutritious food.

 

So investment should cover the hard infrastructure and value chain infrastructure, innovation and new technologies, especially automation and the digital technologies.

 

And Third: reduce food loss and waste.

 

The marginal utility is higher, especially food waste. We can feed more - 1.26 billion people each year if we do well.

 

Fourth: ensure better and more efficient use of available fertilizer.

 

Fifth: improve water resources management.

 

That’s why in March we had the UN Water Conference here and just last week we had FAO’s Ministerial Conference focused on Water Management for Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life -leaving no one behind, in Rome.

 

Sixth: increase women’s empowerment and give future opportunity and possibility for young people.

 

That’s why at FAO we have established a Women’s Committee and a Youth Committee, to have them take leadership to change global agrifood system, and rural development.  

 

The challenge is so much. But we will use the UN Food System Summit Stocktaking Moment that is coming, hosted in FAO, and officially hosted by the Italian government in the last week of July.  We will host you in FAO and have a good debate there, and also a progress report and national pathways review, share best practices and have ministers and a number of heads of state come.

 

Last but not least, at FAO we are willing take close partnership with all partners including the private sector, academia, civil society and farmers themselves, to work together to change the tide, which we need the most.

 

Thank you.