Thank you Madam Chair.
Italy welcomes the convening of this Special Meeting of the Council on the Food Security situation in Haiti. We heard this morning from the Haitian Government, from Countries in the region, from the key UN actors about the critical situation in the country.
We heard the data. The situation in Haiti today represents of the most dramatic humanitarian emergencies in the world, requiring immediate action.
This crisis represents another example of the urgent need for integrated actions among all key UN bodies, the UN System and the wider multilateral and international community. It is self-evident that the dramatic security situation in Haiti has been aggravating food insecurity, hindering the conditions for a resilient and productive food system. It is another existing case of the vicious nexus between conflicts, insecurity and hunger.
Both the Haitian Government and neighbouring Countries have been stressing for months, especially to the Security Council, the need for more international assistance on the ground for the security sector.
We therefore welcome the work of the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (AHAGH) and of the Council today to bring all key actors together and discuss these integrated actions.
The Haitian population deserve a future free from danger, poverty and hunger. And it deserves the help of the international community, through the United Nations. While the modalities should be carefully considered and be respectful of the national ownership, with no interferences in the national political process, Italy believes that the humanitarian cost of inaction is just unacceptable.
For this reason, to provide relief to the Haitian population, last year Italy has become a donor of the Basket Fund to support the Haitian Police and will double its financial contribution in the near future.
Italy participated at Political level at the Foreign Ministerial meeting with international partners in Haiti where we reaffirmed our contribution to support Haitian institution and people, in coordination with the Organization of American States and the United Nations.
Madame Chair,
Food Security is a top priority for all Countries. In less than 40 days the international community will gather in Rome for the Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment to address short, medium and long term action to accelerate Food Systems transformation and address widespread food crises, such as the one in Haiti.
We wish reiterate the invitation to all affected Countries to engage at the Summit and bring their perspectives and proposals for actions. Italy stands ready to continue our support to all vulnerable countries and bring SDG 2 back on track, for the sake of the 2030 Agenda as a whole.
I thank you.
