Highlights from the World Summit on Food Security

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World Summit on Food Security (WSFS)

16-18 November 2009 | Rome, Italy

Monday, 16 November 2009

View of Rome from the venue.

The third World Summit on Food Security opened on 16 November 2009 at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy. Following the inaugural ceremony, Heads of Delegations adopted the World Summit on Food Security Declaration. Heads of Delegation from 44 countries and UN organizations, as well as His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, then made statements in a plenary session throughout the day. In the afternoon, delegates convened in a parallel round table on the impacts of food, economic and financial crises on food security.

Opening Ceremony

The dais during the opening ceremony.

The World Summit on Food Security opened on Monday, 16 November, with an intervention from Renato Schifani, President of the Italian Senate, who emphasized that food and water access are universal rights.

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, said food and climate security are interconnected and emphasized the importance of the upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

Gianni Alemanno, Mayor of Rome, said Rome was proud to host the Summit.

Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, expressed hope that the reformed FAO Committee on World Food Security will serve as the foremost international platform for effectively addressing food security.

High-Level Segment

Jacques Diouf, Director-General, FAO, welcomed His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy, and Summit Chair, stressed the need to turn words into deeds.

Muammar El-Gheddafi, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, spoke of the debt owed to Africa by former colonial powers.

Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt, emphasized the basic right to food, and the indivisibility of food security from sustainable development.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, lamented the weakness of current food security mechanisms, and urged better market access for poor countries.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil

Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatar

Michelle Bachelet Jeria, President of Chile

Danilo Türk, President of Slovenia

Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana, suggested tackling food security by campaigning for the attention of people in developed countries.

Amadou Toumani Toure, President of Mali, urged increased investment in the agriculture sector, and combating speculation around food pricing.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, pointed to the central role agriculture plays in fighting climate change and guaranteeing food security.

James Alix Michel, President of Seychelles, emphasized technology transfer from developed countries, capacity building and market access.

Maud Olofsson, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, and currently holding the Presidency of the European Union

Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi

António Paulo Kassoma, Angola

Liangyu Hui, Vice Prime Minister of China

Rupiah Bwezani Banda, President of Zambia, suggested increasing investment in rural development and infrastructure and targeting support for small-scale farmers.

Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, welcomed the intention to strengthen global governance of food security, as expressed in the Summit Declaration.

Bamir Topi, President of Albania, emphasized the need to invest in rural infrastructure in order to align farmer wages to wages in other sectors.

Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, noted that food security is inseparable from the environment agenda, and called for a positive decision at Copenhagen.

Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan, President of Suriname

Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, Prime Minister of Swaziland

Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi

Francesco Mussoni, Captain Regent of San Marino

François Bozize Yangouvonda, President of Central African Republic

Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon

Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, President of Comoros

Abdulaziz Abdulghani, Speaker of the Shoora Council of Yemen

Vanda Guiomar Pignato, El Salvador, insisted that food and nutritional security be considered a legal right.

Elena Espinosa, Minister of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Spain, highlighted Spain’s increased aid for food security, agricultural and rural development and nutrition.

Yelena Skrynnik, Minister for Agriculture of the Russian Federation, outlined her country’s plan to significantly increase grain exports.

Ilse Aigner, Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of Germany, said agricultural development must be driven by developing countries.

Round Table 1

L-R: Koos Richelle, Director-General of the European Commission’s EuropeAid Co-operation Office; Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme; Saeed Masri, Minister of Agriculture, Jordan; Beverley Oda, Minister for International Cooperation, Canada; Amit Roy, President and CEO, International Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development; and Vashee Ajay, Farming First

Saeed Masri, Minister of Agriculture, Jordan

Beverley Oda, Minister for International Cooperation, Canada

Vashee Ajay, Farming First

Amit Roy, President and CEO, International Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development

Summit Opening Press Conference

Around the Summit

Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy, and Summit Chair, before the start of the Summit.

L-R: Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, and Renato Schifani, President of the Italian Senate

Country flags outside the venue.

The media room.

Daily web coverage (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)

16 November - 17 November - 18 November

Related Links

FAO resources
Meeting website
Provisional programme
Documents
Pre-Summit events
Connected events
Round tables

IISD RS resources
IISD RS coverage of the Development and Climate Days at UNFCCC COP 14, 6-7 December 2008, Poznań, Poland
IISD RS coverage of the High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, 3-5 June 2008, FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy
IISD RS coverage of the Global Renewable Energy Forum, 18-21 May 2008, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
IISD RS coverage of the International Conference on Renewable Energy in Africa, 16-18 April 2008, Dakar, Senegal
IISD RS coverage of the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 (WIREC 2008), 4-6 March 2008, Washington, DC, United States of America
IISD RS summary report of the Seventh Meeting of the Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE-7) - “Energy Efficiency for Developing Countries”, 21-23 November 2007, Vienna, Austria (HTML - PDF)
IISD RS coverage of the First High-level Biofuels Seminar in Africa, 30 July - 1 August 2007, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news
MEA Bulletin - Newsletter on key MEAs and their secretariats
Climate Change Policy & Practice - News and information on the actions of international organizations in responding to the problem of global climate change
African Regional Coverage


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