ROME, MAY 28 – The President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcia, is on her way back to New York following a successful series of meetings on climate change, which took place in Vatican City and Rome. While in Rome she met with Italy’s Foreign Minister, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, and spoke to international media outlets before delivering the opening remarks at the reception of the Conference on Sustainable Development Goal # 16 on “Peace and Justice – Strong Institutions” in Preparation for the High-Level Political Forum 2019. The upcoming Ministerial segment of the next General Assembly and the reform of the Security Council were on the agenda of the meeting with Moavero, which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On Saturday, Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa spoke at the Pontifical Academy in Vatican City on Climate Change and New Evidence from Science, Engineering and Policy. The event was attended by several Finance Ministers.
The PGA also held a bilateral meeting with His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, and was greeted at the meeting by H.H. Pope Francis. On Sunday, Ms. Espinosa took part in the launch of the UN Decade of Family Farming and Global Action Plan, at the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.
The PGA said that: “The UN Decade of Family Farming is an opportunity to increase public awareness on the role that family farmers – many of which are women and young people – play in our society and in our economies. Ms. Espinosa stressed that: “In a world where one third of the food produced is lost or wasted and one third of land is used for livestock production, family farmers are vital socioeconomic actors who can support improved livelihoods, job creation, community cohesion, and development in rural areas. From pastoralists to indigenous peoples, forest dwellers, family farmers make a crucial contribution to the 2030 Agenda and for sustainable development”. (@OnuItalia)
