WFF GLOBAL YOUTH FORUM 2024 OPENING CEREMONY Opening Statement

Dear Young Colleagues,

Dear Leaders of Today and Tomorrow,

Dear Visionaries of all ages,

Welcome to the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 World Food Forum Global Youth Forum!

The World Food Day 2024 theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future,” reminds us that FAO has a huge mission to ensure food security for people every day, everywhere.

We are starting this exciting week with the official opening of the Global Youth Forum because youth perspectives and youth action are not only a top priority, but they are a necessity for the future of our global agrifood systems and food cultures. This was also the fundamental message of the United Nations Summit of the Future held in New York last month.

As we kick off this incredible journey together, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our participants – from Heads of State and Government to Ministers, leaders, and partners, who have joined us, both physically in Rome and online globally.

Your presence with us today is a powerful testament to how critical youth are.

As the leaders here today know, one of the most important skills a good leader can have is to listen, think and take action.

We must always be open to new ideas and innovative solutions. That is also one of the indicators of whether the young-at-heart are still young in mind and in heart!

Great leaders also empower others. Great leaders do not work in silos. They work together, learn together, think together and contribute together.

Today, we are here to listen, to learn from and to empower a new wave of change-makers. YOU are the change makers, not only for today, but also for tomorrow.

So, I urge all of you young leaders and participants to speak up and be heard! But also to be humble, inclusive and respectful of each other.

The Global Youth Forum is not just about recognizing and appreciating the important role youth have to play, it is also about scaling up and strengthening the earth-moving shift our youth are already making, and will continue to make.

At FAO my young colleagues have been the heartbeat of transformation, filling the Organization with fresh ideas, innovative approaches and unstoppable energy with concrete deliverables. We need the excitement, but then that excitement must lead to tangible deliverables – this is what will make you extraordinary young leaders.

In fact, the World Food Forum started with discussions among my young colleagues in the FAO Youth Committee I established in 2019 when I took office as FAO Director-General.  

Even before coming to FAO, when I was Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS) 23 years ago, I always worked with young people – they have always given me the energy and the passion, and this is what I wanted to bring with me to FAO.

What started then, will expand even more with the FAO Office of Youth and Women - an exciting new office created to boost the role of young people and women in transforming agrifood systems and accelerating the achievement of SDG targets across the globe.

This Office is more than just a space: it is a reflection of our commitment to boosting youth leadership and ensuring that their voices continue to shape our strategies and actions.

The Global Youth Forum is one of the three pillars of the World Food Forum – an event which in just four short years has grown into a global movement.

Thousands of passionate individuals from all corners of the world are coming together - not just for this week, but throughout the year, not only in Rome, but also in New York, with all Members.

This year, we have witnessed pivotal engagement by World Food Forum youth leaders at all of the FAO Technical Committees: the Committee on Fisheries, the Committee on Forestry, the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Commodity Problems.

At the country level, we have seen the launch of new National Chapters – 25 in total – that are key to spreading the movement’s reach even further and embedding it deeper at the local level. I wish to recognize the FAO Office in Nepal, which was the first to lead the initiative.

Youth are the drivers of the World Food Forum through innovation, culture, education, policy and local action.

This week you will learn about important research being undertaken and startup challenges being faced, you will see first-hand some of the incubation initiatives, you will experience knowledge and skill sharing, and so much more.

But remember: the World Food Forum is more than just a platform – it is a movement. Movement implies continuous action!

What is exciting about this week is not just the number of sessions and activities, but the depth of the conversations and solutions with concrete actions.

From innovative dialogues to thought-provoking sessions, the lineup is packed with opportunities for you to engage, share and learn.

You are the driving force behind these dialogues, and they will set the stage for impactful change.

So, as we embark on this journey, let us keep the momentum going.

Your ideas, your energy, and your commitment are what will lead us towards a more dynamic and prosperous future.

I am counting on you, our global youth, and let us keep going until we achieve Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow!

And now I wish to present the Chair of the FAO Youth Committee, Maximo Torrero, with a caligaphy I have personally written as a token of my appreciation for the work he has led in spearheading, together with me and my colleagues, this Global Youth Forum!

Thank you!