JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA FIRST G20 FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING Session II: Discussion on the Global Geopolitical Situation Statement

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I commend the South African G20 Presidency for continuing to keep global food security and nutrition high on the agenda.

Agrifood systems sustain a basic human right, natural resources, livelihoods, and economic development, employing over 1.2 billion people and supporting over 3.8 billion globally.

In Africa, nearly 50 percent of workers depend on this sector, yet instability and lack of opportunities threaten their future - particularly in regions like the Sahel, where 65 percent of the population is under 25 years of age.

In countries such as Sudan, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Chad, the degradation of agrifood systems – intensified by the impacts of the natural disasters and policy failures - has increased tensions between farmers and pastoralists competing for limited resources.

These challenges threaten our ability to ensure stable agrifood systems and risk deepening global inequalities.

Many weaknesses in our agrifood systems arise from unequal access to innovation, technology, natural resources, public services and healthy diets.

Today, 733 million people face chronic hunger – which is one in 11 persons globally. But here in Africa, it is one in five.

And 2.3 billion people globally experience food insecurity, while 2.8 billion lack access to healthy diets.

Conflict remains one of the greatest threats to food security.

FAO continues to scale up emergency and rehabilitation efforts to protect rural vulnerable communities.

Beyond conflict, the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events add to the challenges.

Global warming and extreme weather disrupt food production, increasing risks for farmers, affecting disease patterns, and accelerating migration - all of which undermine our efforts to end hunger.

In this context of risks and uncertainties, international trade plays a critical role in global food security by ensuring food moves efficiently from surplus to deficit regions.

Well-functioning markets stabilize food availability, accessibility and affordability, and diversity, particularly for import-dependent nations facing serious natural disasters and man-made political shocks.

The Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) - a G20 initiative hosted by FAO since 2011 - plays a key role in enhancing market transparency and policy coordination.

Food security is not just about policy - it is about peace, stability, and human dignity.

It is about transforming global agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable under the overarching guidance of FAO’s Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life – leaving no one behind.

We must act now to ensure political commitment and the necessary investment for nutritious and healthy foods for all.

Thank you.