Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General opening speech | 14/10/2024

Excellences,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear colleagues,

Welcome to the 2024 World Food Forum!

I am truly delighted to be here today, launching the 4th edition of this Forum, which was designed to celebrate FAO’s Birthday, to establish a platform for scaling up agrifood systems transformation, under the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s inspiring to see that the World Food Forum has grown into a foremost youth-led global platform.

This independent and neutral space, initiated and hosted by FAO, strives to create a better world through youth-driven transformation of global agrifood systems.

To all the young people and the young-at-heart in the room and those joining us online – there are great expectations ahead of you!

You have an ambitious and exciting agenda in front of you, one which will enable you to learn, share and lead the change.

Transformational change requires three key elements: youth; science and innovation; and targeted investments. These are the three main pillars of the World Food Forum.

Working with young people ensures that our efforts are targeted at building dynamic capacity and creating sustainable, long-term impact.

By blending the innovative ideas of youth with the wisdom of senior generations, we have the balance needed to accelerate the transformation of global agrifood systems.

The actions we take today will directly impact the future.

This year’s theme, “Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow,” reflects the core of FAO’s mission and brings together the importance of the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.

FAO is committed to supporting all Members, particularly the most vulnerable, by working to ensure food security and nutrition for everyone.

This effort goes beyond simply feeding people by producing more – in line with better production – it also encompasses providing access to healthy diets to assure better nutrition.

The definition of food security is the sum total of ensuring food availability, food accessibility and food affordability.

We must produce more with less, using technology, science and innovation to increase efficiency, resilience and sustainability, for a better environment.

By ensuring good food for all – both for today and for tomorrow – we safeguard the right to food and uphold the principle that the right to food is a basic human right and assures a better life based on healthy foods and healthy environment for all – and leaves no one behind.

Dear Colleagues,

Investment, together with an enabling policy, is critical.

Scaling up financing for food security and rural development is essential, and this involves not just resource mobilization, but also identifying strategic investment opportunities that can have wide-reaching impact.

The FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative, and its Investment Forum under the umbrella of the World Food Forum, are excellent examples of this approach.

In the coming days, you will witness how this initiative brings together national needs and opportunities with the right partners, investors, financial organizations, the private sector, and traditional donors.

The 2024 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI), launched at the G20 in Brazil this year, highlighted that the countries most affected by food insecurity are often those with the least access to financing.

To solve this, we must rely on timely and solid information – data, science, and evidence – to pinpoint needs and develop effective solutions.

This is the objective of the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, through the innovative work of the related FAO Geospatial Platform and the analytical work that drives the Hand-in-Hand investment plans.

In a world where so many are suffering from food insecurity, conflict, the climate crisis, economic downturns, and more, we need a strategic approach to our vision and actions.

We must maximize the opportunities available and make the most of the resources we have.

Dear Friends,

It is our generation’s duty to empower the youth, especially those who are marginalized and have less access to opportunities. We must involve them in decision-making processes and create spaces where their voices are heard.

I hope that this week at FAO, we take steps toward achieving this goal and set an example for others to follow.

As we launch the 2024 World Food Forum, I urge all the young people and the young-at-heart to engage with us, to voice your concerns, and to fight for what matters to your generation.

Together, let’s work towards a future that is more inclusive and more equitable.

A future which ensures Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow.

FAO is in your hands, and so will the future!

Thank you.

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

See the World Food Forum in Youtube