HONDURAS Welcome Reception Hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Honduras Statement

His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation,

Her Excellency the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am very pleased to be here in Honduras with you, following the kind invitation of Her Excellency President Castro.

This visit is an important opportunity to further strengthen our collaboration and to identify priority areas where FAO can provide technical and professional expertise to support Honduras in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 

Through the transformation of its agrifood system to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable. 

We appreciate the opportunity to interact and dialogue with the Government of Honduras, international government representatives, and all partners, on the challenges and opportunities in Honduras towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind. 

This is at the core of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, endorsed by all FAO Members, and which will guide our work over the next decade. 

In line with this Framework, the UN Programming Framework and relevant National Policy Instruments, in November last year we signed the 2023-2026 Country Programming Framework with Honduras.

This is a key strategic planning and programming instrument aimed at promoting FAO’s work in the country in support of national and regional development. 

Our joint work is focused on reaching those who need us the most: the 2.1 million people who - according to the FAO State of Food and Nutrition Insecurity (SOFI) Report 2024 - are currently undernourished in Honduras.

We commend Honduras for the decrease in acute food insecurity from 28% in 2022 down to 18% in 2023, in line with the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC).

In a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, the transformation to a sustainable agrifood system, and ensuring healthy and nutritious diets for all, requires the collective efforts of all development partners. 

Honduras cannot do it alone. Political commitment and meaningful partnerships are essential to meet this challenge.

Partnerships are at the heart of FAO's mandate working towards a world free of hunger.

FAO is leading efforts to address the world's most pressing global challenges in food and agriculture. To this end, FAO works closely with other UN agencies, funds and programmes, drawing on the strengths and comparative advantages of each of them.

I wish to take the opportunity this evening to thank all our partners, in particular from across the UN system, working together as ONE UN in Honduras to achieve our collective objectives.

Before concluding, allow me to extend my congratulations to Honduras for the Pro-Tempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American States (CELAC), as well as for your work in the Coalition for Rainforest Nations.

These are important multilateral platforms to promote integration, knowledge sharing, policy dialogue and to strengthen cooperation mechanisms.

I wish to conclude by once again thanking the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, as well as the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, and through them the Government of Honduras for the warm hospitality. 

I know that Honduras has a big potential. You can produce more with less! And you can produce more food diversity through biodiversity. So let us enjoy the healthy food!

Thank you – Muchas gracias.