NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 12 – “The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically highlighted the centrality of food security on a global scale. As chair of the Group of Friends on Food Security and Nutrition at the United Nations, Italy believes in working together in a coordinated, inclusive & transparent manner to tackle these unprecedented challenges”, the Italian Permanent Representative Mariangela Zappia said today, introducing the fourth meeting of the Group during 2020 and the third opened to the participation of the entire membership.
Together with the UN Secretariat and FAO, the Group has decided to broaden today’s discussion to all the members “since we firmly believe in working together, in a coordinated, inclusive and transparent manner, as the only way to tackle the unprecedented challenges of our time”, said Zappia.
The Deputy Director General of FAO, Beth Bechdol, the Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, Agnes Kalibata, and David Nabarro for the Secretariat briefed the meeting. Bechdol in particular provided with an overview of the “Food Coalition”, an innovative initiative proposed by the Italian Government and recently launched in Rome by FAO, while Navarro gave an update on some of the most relevant activities related to SDG2, in the run up to the Food Systems Summit in 2021. (@OnuItalia)
