UNGA79 Summit of the Future Plenary Statement

UNGA79 Summit of the Future Plenary Statement

by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

22/09/2024

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good late afternoon,

The world faces a daunting food security and nutrition picture.

More than 730 million people worldwide faced hunger in 2023, and more than 2.3 billion were moderately or severely food insecure.

We are not on track to achieving any of the global SDG targets.

And we see that huge inequalities persist along various dimensions - including wealth, gender, rural areas, and in accessing assets and opportunities.

The future we want is a future that is food secure for all, for our planet, for prosperity and for future generations to come.

We want a future where the right to food is a basic human right that is ensured.

For this future, we must transform our agrifood systems today to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable.

The future will be determined by more equitable agrifood systems, and I am pleased that this is recognized by the Pact for the Future.

We need to invest integratedly in the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life - leaving no one behind.

This is at the core of FAO's work.

Allow me to share three key elements for the way forward:

One: we must step up efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030 by supporting the transformation of global agrifood systems to eliminate hunger and increase equality.

Two: we must focus on fostering and promoting innovation, public-private partnerships, and more cost-effective investments.

Three: hunger and food insecurity can be defeated through effective collaboration between all partners, by effectively utilizing each other's expertise and resources, and by leveraging our comparative advantages. We have to do it together.

FAO will continue to do its part to ensure the better future we want.

Have a nice evening and enjoy your healthy foods.

Thank you.