NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 22 – Following the COVID-19 pandemic, “2021 will be a crucial year. We need all ‘hands on deck’ to overcome this unprecedented crisis, especially in sectors, such as food security and nutrition, which are indispensable elements for the implementation of the whole set of the SDGs”, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mariangela Zappia, said during a 75th General Assembly side event on “Fixing the Business of Food – A Critical Cross-Sector Dialogue to Re-Strategize Food Businesses”.
The Zoom dialogue was the occasion for the presentation of the report “Fixing the business of food” put together by the Barilla Foundation, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Center for Sustainable Development at the Columbia University and the Santa Chiara Lab of Siena University. “The report is particularly timely as the international community is responding to the crisis created by virus provides with a unique perspective”, said Zappia, the keynote speaker of the event: “From the point of view of the private sector, the report identifies a concrete set of actions and recommendations, based on evidence and sound data-analysis. Indeed, the ‘Four Pillars Framework’ is a sort of ‘instruction manual’ to guide our efforts towards an active engagement of the private sector in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”.
The Ambassador recalled that in 2021 Italy will be entrusted with special responsibilities as the Presidency of the G20 and co-President of the COP26 on climate change, in partnership with the UK. Italy will also host the Global Health Summit, organized together with the European Commission. Moreover, we will play a central role in the Food Systems Summit, as host of the agri-food UN Hub in Rome.
“People, Planet and Prosperity will be at the core of the G20 vision as we plan to focus on a series of initiatives on food security and nutrition related issues”, said Zappia pointing out that the international community is at a turning point: “Recovering better from the pandemic requires, even more than before, a transformative change towards a green, sustainable and inclusive economy. The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement will continue to be the guiding stars of our action, as we count on the synergies between Governments and the private sector not only as a temporary fix for the crisis, but as a pillar for resilient societies”.
