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On October 16, 2019, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced his intention to host an Extraordinary World Food Systems Summit to deliberate on the future of global food systems. A pre-summit begins next week in Rome, with the full summit scheduled for September.
Described as a “summit of solutions for everyone, everywhere – a summit of the people”, the high-level meeting aims to awaken the citizens of the world and encourage them to cooperate to transform the way food is produced and consumed across the world. world.
The meeting was deemed necessary because the world is not on track to meet the UN’s “Zero Hunger” Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), as well as the other SDGs, by 2030, unless that drastic measures are not taken. Participants will deliberate and launch bold new actions to help achieve progress on the 17 SDGs, each of which rests to some extent on the goal of achieving zero hunger.
Ahead of the summit, the UN invited organizations, countries and international bodies to hold public dialogues that generate ideas that will ultimately feed into summit decisions. As part of this effort, the Alliance for Science will hold an independent dialogue at 10 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 23, which will specifically examine the role that agricultural biotechnology can play in transforming global food systems.
Here are four reasons why this is important:
1) The problem of hunger in the world is far from being solved
You and others in your community may have more than enough food in your pantry and refrigerator. But globally, the hunger situation is precarious and COVID-19 has made it worse. It is estimated that around 811 million people, or 9.9% of the world’s population, still suffer from hunger. Between 2019 and 2020 alone, the number of undernourished people increased by 161 million worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and conflict. The UN SDG 2 states that by 2030 we should end hunger and secure food for all, including the poor and vulnerable. We are clearly on the right track to achieve this goal. Bold and drastic new ideas are needed to help turn the tide – ideas that the Independent Dialogues and the Food Systems Summit are meant to generate.
2) Climate change will only worsen food security problems
Evidence clearly shows that climate change is exacerbating food and water shortages, especially in poor countries. Storms, droughts, floods, rising sea levels and more extreme warmer temperatures will make it even harder to produce enough food, according to a report by the United States’ National Intelligence Council (NIC). So, even if you are comfortable today with a lot to eat, there is no guarantee that the scenario will continue. Actions taken now can help ensure that people everywhere, including you, can eat for years to come.
3) The people must be heard
The summit will shine the international spotlight on food issues and intensify public discussions on how to transform and reform our food systems. This global platform gives everyone a chance to influence how to make our food systems sustainable, resilient and productive enough to feed billions of people around the world. At least 140 UN member states, as well as civil society groups and ordinary citizens, participate. Beyond identifying concrete actions that national governments, local leaders, the private sector and the public need to take to achieve the goal of zero hunger, the summit will develop a monitoring and review system for s ‘ensure that these plans are actually put in place. If you believe in the democratic form of governance, this is your chance to speak out.
4) it’s history on the move
Obviously, the Food Systems Summit will not be just another chat room. It will align people working to transform food systems around a common practical framework and develop tools that will guide decision-makers in their wise choices. The summit will also promote a science-policy interface on the food system. It’s a decade-long conversation that will take place beyond the summit, with the potential to be a watershed moment for the global food supply. This is something you won’t want to miss.
Here’s how to participate
Sign up for the Alliance for Science Independent Dialogue. We have brought together a panel of global experts to discuss the role of agricultural biotechnology in transforming food systems. Panelists will discuss the current and potential future impacts of agricultural biotechnology on food systems and explore the role that gene editing can play. The ideas, solutions, partnerships and action plans generated during this dialogue will be formally submitted to the Summit’s Food Systems Dialogue Platform to inform recommendations and guide decisions that emerge from the Summit.
The Alliance for Science is organizing this dialogue because we believe that resilient, equitable, innovative and sustainable food systems are essential for better education, good health and economic development. We also believe that agricultural technologies can help the world meet a multitude of sustainability challenges by selecting crops with higher yields, reduced fertilizer requirements, better nutrition, resilience to climate shocks and resistance to insects. harmful. Modern biotechnology is an innovative and increasingly accessible tool that can help us achieve the SDGs quickly and safely, while coexisting with other technologies and farming methods, such as digitization and agroecology.
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