ROME/NEW YORK, JUNE 6 – In the race to achieve Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda (Zero Hunger), Italy is undoubtedly “among the most trained athletes,” Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN, wrote in an article published in the online magazine Formiche.net.
“The Zero Hunger goal has never been so distant. How can we eradicate malnutrition from the planet when there are only seven years left until the 2030 deadline, and the level of hunger in the world shows no signs of improvement, in fact, it has returned to the level of 2005?” Massari argued, listing two significant examples of what Italy is doing in this regard.
“In 2021, we hosted the pre-Summit on UN Food Systems in Rome. On that occasion, all governments and stakeholders provided a global impetus for transforming food systems, with hundreds of commitments made. However, the implementation of these commitments needs to be monitored. That is why UN Secretary-General Guterres has committed to convene a global review meeting every two years to assess progress. This ‘Stocktaking Moment’ will be hosted by Italy in Rome in July. What has changed after two years?”
According to the Ambassador, the global picture has worsened due to the escalation of conflicts, the emergence of new conflicts, and their effects, including food crises, as well as the deterioration of territories (such as droughts, natural disasters, etc.) related to climate change. In the first case, consider the food (and energy, in addition to inflation) insecurity triggered by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, for which poor countries and especially Africa have paid the highest price.
Faced with alarming statistics – in 2022, at least 258 million people in 58 countries suffered from “acute food insecurity,” and 148 million children under the age of 5 experienced stunted growth last year – the Rome Stocktaking Moment aims to be the “accelerator” available to the international community.
The event comes at a crucial moment, just 53 days before the UN Summit on the SDGs (New York, September 18-19): “Its importance as an intermediate step leading to that Summit must not be overlooked. Without food security and nutrition for all, and without maintaining the promise of Zero Hunger, we cannot achieve any of the other goals of the 2030 Agenda. The fact that this important event takes place in Rome confirms Italy’s leadership role on global food security issues, as the host country of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as the President of the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition at the UN. From our perspective, food security and the Stocktaking Moment have particular importance in the context of relations and solidarity with the ‘global South,’ which Italy intends to strengthen.” (@OnuItalia)
