Thank you Chair and thank to the UN representatives for the presentation of the reports this morning.
Italy welcomes this joint discussion, as these items on poverty, food security, industrial development cooperation, women, are closely interconnected.
Conflicts, Climate and COVID-19 have erased years of progress made on SDG 1 and SDG 2 of the 2030 Agenda, on poverty and hunger. Now, the “perfect storm” is hitting especially the most vulnerable people and the most vulnerable Countries, further worsening the global situation, and accelerated actions are needed at all levels.
Yesterday, during the Joint 2nd Committee-ECOSOC Meeting, we discussed new perspectives on poverty eradication, highlighting precisely its structural connections with climate change, inequalities, social protection and, certainly, food security.
Poverty eradication and Food Security remain two of the highest priorities of Italy’s Development Cooperation, also in the context of the Team Europe Approach, reflected in our multilateral and bilateral support. In 2021 Italy has increased its ODA and in 2022 we have also increased multilateral funding to the UN System, in order to boost multilateral responses to multi-dimensional crises and in close partnership with our development partners.
Nonetheless, the current state of global food insecurity remains of the highest concern. After a pre-existing deterioration of global food security in the world, which hit especially the most vulnerable Countries, the Russian aggression of Ukraine has caused an additional stress to the global food chains, exposing precisely those more vulnerable Countries to dire consequences, both in terms of access to food and of an unprecedented, ongoing food price inflation. In addition, there is extreme concern over the deteriorating situations of acute hunger in fragile areas, particularly in Africa.
Against this difficult background, we welcome and will continue to support the UNs efforts along all the political, development and humanitarian sectors to address the multidimensional crisis and food crisis, including in the context of the UN Global Crisis Response Group, and we are fully committed to continue our work together, in New York, in Rome and on the ground, to address the crises and leave no one behind.
In the context of Food Security, Italy is further stepping up efforts to address immediate needs as well as short, medium and long-term challenges of food security, including as part of the European Union, from the EU Solidarity Lanes to increased direct financial support to partner countries to address existing challenges and to the UN, including FAO, IFAD and WFP. Italy is also fully committed to maintain food security at the top of the UN agenda and to promote effective global action which delivers quickly at all levels, also in our capacity of Chair of the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition, currently composed by 50 Member States across all regional groups. In this regard, we also look forward to tomorrow’s timely event organized by the 2C Bureau with UNCTAD and UN partners on trade and logistics for food and energy for all.
Mr. Chair,
Italy stands ready to work towards the achievement of consensual, effective and action-oriented Resolutions, also building up on the most recent General Assembly Resolutions, ECOSOC deliberations and the Ministerial Declaration of the High Level Political Forum, reflecting also the importance of accelerating the follow-up of the UN Food Systems Summit, towards its stock-taking moment in 2023 and the SDG Summit.
Thank you.
