Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

A warm welcome to all.

We meet today, just six weeks after the United Nations Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, convened by the Secretary-General.

I wish to once again thank the Government of Italy for cohosting it with the United Nations, supported by our Rome-based agencies and the wider UN system and key stakeholders.

During the Stocktaking Moment, we saw over 3300 participants – including delegations from 182 countries; 21 world leaders and 126 Ministers; 225 Non-state organizations, and close to 900 UN system representatives – commit to a future where food systems are sustainable, equitable, inclusive, and resilient;

A future where cross-sector partnerships and new forms of cooperation can steer innovation, integration and impact;

A future where hunger no longer thrives.
 
Our stocktaking revealed sustainable practices from around the world as well as breakthrough solutions to respond to emergencies and transform food systems – while striving to sustain progress on other SDGs.

It shed light to countries, women and men who are bringing food systems to life, and to those most in need of support to ensure healthy and resilient food systems.
 
We witnessed your commitment to keep building momentum towards our shared 2030 goals.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The FSS also put a spotlight on the challenges that we face, mainly financing and the means of implementation.  

The countries’ ability to implement their national pathways for food systems transformation is highly constrained by the cost of debt and the mounting risk of debt distress.

Increasingly, many lack the liquidity to pay their food bills and are forced to choose between serving their populations and servicing their debts. 

The scale of investment needed also calls for a much greater participation of the private sector – a gap that must be urgently filled.

These challenges have been captured in the Secretary General’s Call to Action that followed the FSS Stocktake.

Everyone – countries, institutions, private entities, civil society, community groups, farmers and individuals – must contribute to the shift to sustainable and equitable food systems by:

Establishing food systems governance;

Investing in research, data, innovation and technology capacities;

Fostering the full participation of women, young people and indigenous peoples;

Promoting increased engagement of businesses, including through public private partnerships; and

Ensuring access to short and long-term concessional finance, investments, and debt restructuring.

The Call to Action also presents measures to enhance the capabilities of National Food Systems Convenors in guiding inclusive national processes.
 
This includes building national level coordination with UN entities, harnessing international Coalitions of Action, and aligning with other relevant stakeholders to foster support for food systems transformations.

Excellencies,

I would also like to acknowledge the strong partnership with the COP28 presidency during UNFSS+2. We are working together to convene mutually supportive processes with respect to food systems transformation and climate action.

Building upon the outcomes of the UN Food Systems Summit+2, COP28 presents a unique opportunity to keep the momentum and ensure synergy between climate action and food systems transformation with the objective of supporting the realization of the SDGs.

Excellencies,

In just one week’s time, we will be coming together to mark the mid-point of the SDG implementation period.

It’s essential that we use this moment to double down on the SDG promise and come together to accelerate progress between now and 2030.

This is the spirit of the SDG Action Weekend that the Secretary-General is convening on 16 and 17 September, especially the 12 high impact initiatives that the UN is mobilizing governments and partners around the world.

The High Impact initiative on Transforming Food Systems will, for example, allow us to pivot from the stocktake in Rome to the road ahead, demonstrating that transformed food systems can serve as an SDG multiplier – for people, planet and prosperity.

We urge you to actively engage.

Together, we can transform food systems, leave no one behind and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals.

Thank you.