UNFSS+4 CLOSING SESSION Closing Statement

Excellences,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

We are closing this important and successful Summit, but we are not closing our agenda.

This meeting has provided us with a much-needed opportunity to reflect on our collective progress in transforming global agrifood systems, to feed a growing population, ensure food security, and guarantee access to healthy diets for all, for today and for generations to come.

Yesterday, we launched the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report.

The figures are sobering:

In 2024, 673 million people suffered from hunger.

In Africa, 307 million people - 20 percent of the population - faced hunger, compared to 5.1 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We have 90 million more hungry people than in 2020, and 100 million more than in 2015, when the SDGs were adopted.

At this pace, 512 million people will still face chronic hunger by 2030 - six in ten in Africa.

So, while there are signs of progress, we are clearly not on track.

Over the past three days, four clear messages have emerged.

First: youth must be at the center of agrifood systems transformation.

Sunday’s Action Day reminded us of the powerful role of youth as drivers of change. They are not only future farmers, processors, service providers, and a new generation of consumers, but also future leaders and policymakers.

Earlier this month, FAO launched the first global assessment on Youth in Agrifood Systems. The findings are clear: 1.2 billion young people will enter the workforce in the next decade, but many risk being left behind.

Closing this gap could boost global GDP by 1.5 trillion US Dollars - almost half of it from agrifood systems.

But this requires inclusive access to land, finance, markets, education, and most critically, decision-making.

If we want real transformation, we must invest in those who will lead it.

Second: science, technology, and innovation are not optional - they are a necessary condition.

Evidence-based policymaking and innovation must guide our responses to the complex challenges threatening agrifood systems—from climate shocks to rising input costs.

We must scale up the solutions that work, and fast. We must turn the challenges into opportunities.

Third: targeted and scaled-up investment is urgently needed.

Traditional development finance and ODA alone are insufficient. Changing the business model will lead to transformative impacts.

Financing for agrifood systems remains inadequate, fragmented, and mis-aligned, particularly in countries most vulnerable to food crises, and where public investment is limited.

What we need is a new financing paradigm.

First: public resources must act as catalysts - de-risking investment, crowding in private capital, and supporting innovation across the value chain. More positively, thinking should be leading to deep blue areas for new products.

Second: innovative financial instruments—such as blended finance, green bonds, partial guarantees, and debt swaps—can help mobilize capital at scale.

And Third: the choice of instruments must align with each country’s capacity and risk profile, unlocking more options as environments improve.

I was pleased to see these issues featured prominently during the Investment Dialogues this week.

Fourth: transformation demands strong, trust-based partnerships, especially with the private sector.

We need a new model of collaboration, grounded in mutual trust, shared value, and aligned incentives.

This means:

One: Building portfolios of bankable, country-driven projects that are also commercially viable;

Two: Reducing risks - not just financially, but by improving data, transparency, predictability, and market accessibility;

And Three: Creating enabling ecosystems—with the right institutions, policies, infrastructure, and public goods.

The private sector is not a supporting actor—it is a core partner in scaling innovation, deploying technologies, and unlocking capital, business continuity. But to engage effectively, we must lower the cost of doing the right thing.

Dear Colleagues,

As we conclude this Second Stocktake, I reaffirm FAO’s full commitment to work with all of you—governments, youth, professionals, civil society, and the private sector—to transform our agrifood systems to be even more efficient, even more inclusive, even more resilient and even more sustainable.

For the realization of our collective vision of the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.

For a better foods secure future for all, leaving no one behind.

Let us continue on this Long March together. We have already taken the first steps until mission accomplished!

Thank you.