Excellencies,
Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon, and welcome.
Let me begin by thanking my colleague, Ambassador Bencosme Castaños of the Dominican Republic, and the Permanent Mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for co-sponsoring this event with us.
My heartfelt thanks also go to FAO, and to its Liaison Office here in New York, for their partnership and for moderating today’s discussion.
Bringing together the Caribbean, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the UN system says something important: food waste is a challenge that belongs to all of us, in every region and at every level of development.
I am particularly proud that this cross-regional gathering will be opened with a keynote by Professor Andrea Segrè, who for many years has been a pioneer and tireless champion of efforts to counter food loss and waste, in Italy and around the world. I am also proud to say that I was happy to work with him in Rome already when we were preparing the first Pre Food System Summit in 2021.
We meet today shortly after the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, established by this General Assembly to remind us of a simple paradox. Every year, a significant share of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted, while hundreds of millions of people still don’t have sufficient access to food. Food that is thrown away also means wasted water, land, energy and labor, and a considerable share of global greenhouse gas emissions. On this basis, countering food loss and waste is not only an important matter of food security, but an overarching challenge of sustainable development.
With the 2030 deadline for SDG target 12.3 now close, the question before us is no longer whether food waste matters, but how we can reduce it faster and more effectively.
Today’s event offers a particular approach to that question: we need to understand behaviors.
Technology and policy are indispensable. But much of the food we waste is wasted at home, in our kitchens, through everyday decisions: how often we shop, how we plan our meals, how we read a label, how we judge whether food is still good to eat. These choices are shaped by habits, perceptions and circumstances that vary from one country, one community and one household to another.
If we want our policies to work, we need to start from that reality.
This is what our esteemed speakers have tried to do, starting from Italy and expanding it to the Mediterranean and beyond.
Over the past years, initiatives such as the “Spreco Zero”/ “Zero waste” campaign and the “Waste Watcher International Observatory on Food and Sustainability” have helped bring food waste into public debate and scientific research at the same time, raising awareness while collecting solid behavioral data.
I am very pleased that everyone today will be able to hear from experts and institutions, from FAO and CIHEAM to the University of Bologna and the Government of Jordan, who are working to turn this knowledge into concrete action. Because this is the real challenge: moving from awareness to research, and from research to action.
The “Spreco Zero Mediterranean Initiative” is a good example of how a shared regional approach can foster innovation and exchange of good practices.
I conclude by saying that Italy remains firmly committed to this agenda, including through our close partnership with the Rome-based agencies and our broader engagement on sustainable food systems.
We believe that reducing food loss and waste is one of the most practical and effective ways to advance food security, climate action and responsible consumption together.
I look forward to a rich and open discussion, and I thank you all once again for being here.
