Food Systems: Massari, “the torch has passed from Rome to NY”

NEW YORK, JULY 2 – Addressing Member States on the outcome of the Rome Pre-Food Systems Summit, Italy remarked on the event’s success in terms of active inclusivity, engagement, political commitment and advancement of the overall Food Systems Summit which will take place next September. “The torch is passing from Rome to New York”, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, said at the briefing led by the Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed.

As stated by Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the opening segment, Italy was proud to co-host such an important event, at a juncture that sees Italy placing “Food Security, Nutrition and Food Systems” at the center of the global agenda, in the framework of its current G20 Presidency, in the context of its partnership with the UK for COP26 and as Host Country of FAO, IFAD and WFP, the Rome-based Agencies devoted to agriculture and food security, Massari said,

The Ambassador mentioned the Italian role in promoting a “Food Coalition” of over 40 FAO Countries to contribute to the prevention of a global food crisis and, in New York, as Chair of the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition. Furthermore, he added, “just one month before the Pre-Summit, we promoted the adoption by the G20 Foreign Affairs and Development Ministerial Meetings, of the ‘Matera Declaration on Food Security, Nutrition and Food Systems’ which contained an action oriented ‘G20 Call to action’ for food security and food systems. This Declaration was presented to the Pre-Summit by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, as a contribution of the G20 to accelerate the implementation of SDG2”, said Massari, who underlined how Italy’s proactive engagement towards the Food Systems Summit is based on a whole-of-Government and whole-of-Society approach, in line with the holistic action needed to achieve the fundamental objectives of the Summit: “We shaped our positions and contributions on a constant dialogue with our civil society, the private sector, the academia, women, youth, farmers and practitioners”. (@OnuItalia)