Thank you Mr. Chair.
Italy welcomes today’s joint consideration of the items on poverty eradication and on agriculture, food security and nutrition by the 2nd Committee. We thank the UN Secretariat for the presentation of the informative Reports of the Secretary-General.
Eliminating Poverty and Hunger must continue to be at the top of our course of action. As highlighted in the Reports, these two pillars of the 2030 Agenda – SDG 1 and SDG 2 – are structurally interlinked: more than 3 billion people (42% of the world population) were unable to afford a healthy diet due to increased costs and to a decline in incomes. In addition, over 80% of the world’s extreme poor live today in rural areas, where agriculture and food security are the key factors of livelihood.
Integrated actions along SDG 1 and SDG 2 will therefore ensure multiplied benefits across the whole 2030 Agenda and beyond.
Yet, global hunger is on the rise, with around 735 million people on average facing chronic hunger due to the combined and lasting impacts of the pandemic, climate change and conflicts and further jeopardized by the global effects of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, affecting in particular the Global South.
We must step up additional efforts and invert these trends: from humanitarian relief to longer term agrifood systems transformation.
It was with this sense of urgency that the Italian Government hosted the last UN Food Systems Summit +2 in Rome, last July, convened by the UN Secretary General to review progress made on Food Systems Transformation and accelerate global action. Italy welcomes the new Secretary General’s Call to Action on Food Systems Transformation launched in Rome as one of the key outcomes of the Summit and we call on all Member States to rally around it and take action. We also fully support the 13 recommendations presented in the Report.
To renew Italy’s longstanding commitment, I am pleased to announce that the Italian Government has just allocated an additional financial contribution of 2 million in support of the Food Window of the Joint SDG Fund, to work on the legacy and follow-up of the Summit and its implementation at Country-level.
Mr. Chair,
Let me highlight two additional, priority aspects.
- The Secretary General’s Report highlights that displacement is a driver and outcome of food insecurity, with forcibly displaced people reaching more than 108 million people, more than half of which displaced in 25 food-crisis countries and territories at the end of last year.
Italy has been working with many partners in Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Asia to the root cause of forced migration, in full partnership with all these countries.
Food security will continue to be top priority across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and especially in Africa, as we demonstrated also last May, co-hosting the humanitarian Pledging Conference on the Horn Africa, where Italy pledged more than 40 million euro of support.
- Food Systems and Climate Action. Agrifood Systems account for one third of total greenhouse gas emissions overall and at the same time they are highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. This is a key nexus. Integrated policies and measures are necessary and we are pleased to continue our partnership with COP 28 to make Food Security a key priority of the upcoming COP in Dubai, with joint-dedicated initiatives bridging Rome-New York and Dubai, as recently done during the High Level Week.
Mr. Chair,
To conclude, next year’s HLPF will undergo the in-depth review of both SDG 1 and SDG 2. The upcoming Resolutions in the 2nd Committee on these items will therefore be key milestones and you can count on Italy’s full engagement and support, also in line with our role of Chair of the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition in New York, to advance global action and leave no one behind.
I thank you.
