THE Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), FAO, IFAD and WFP will hold an event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 16 to commemorate World Food Day 2022. More than 40 authorities from the food and agriculture sector will be in attendance.
Regarding the commemoration, the Director-General of IICA, Manuel Otero, highlighted the key importance of Latin America and the Caribbean as a guarantor of the planet’s food and nutritional security and a pillar for environmental sustainability and biodiversity.
“Considering this regional position, the confluence of crises requires that we channel efforts towards assisting vulnerable populations as well as facilitating intra-regional and international trade in an urgent and sustainable manner. We must promote a true partnership that can bolster agricultural trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. This involves joining efforts among countries and strengthening the bodies responsible for co-ordinating sectoral policies, driving collective action for the benefit of everyone,” said Otero.
He added: “At the same time, we must undertake significant coordinated efforts in the fields of science, technology and innovation, developing the requisite framework of public policies and investments. We must also set ambitious goals: specifically, to ensure that our agrifood systems utilise natural resources as efficiently as possible, generate decent jobs with social inclusion, provide healthy diets and are environmentally sustainable.”
In closing, Otero noted that “the war in Eastern Europe has further reaffirmed the fact that food security is at the top of the planet’s concerns and that the American continent is strengthening its leading and relevant role as a guarantor of healthy and abundant food at the global level.”
Around the world, approximately three billion people lack access to healthy food and 828 million people suffer from hunger; these issues have been further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Eastern Europe.
At the event in Rio de Janeiro, FAO, WFP, IFAD and IICA will bring together organisations from various sectors to highlight the urgent and collective need to guarantee access to healthy food for all people.
The motto of the commemoration will be: “Leave no one behind—better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life.”
On the night of Sunday, October 16, famous landmarks in Rio de Janeiro, such as the Christ the Redeemer statue, the Carioca Aqueduct, the monument to Estácio de Sá, and the Moorish Castle of the Fiocruz Foundation will be illuminated in blue, the colour that identifies the World Food Day 2022 campaign. (IICA)
