Monaco participates in 45th session of the Committee on World Food Security and World Food Day

From left to right  : Yordanos Pasquier, Senior Programme Manager at the DCI, H.E. Mr Robert Fillon, Monaco’s Ambassador to Italy and Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), Emilie Silvestre, Programme Coordinator at the Department of International Cooperation (DCI) in Monaco, and Yordanos Pasquier, Senior Programme Manager at the DCI ©DR

 

A Monegasque delegation* led by H.E. Mr Robert Fillon, Monaco’s Ambassador to Italy and Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), took part in the 45^th session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) held in Rome from 15 to 19 October, and in World Food Day on 16 October.

The CFS brings together all of the public and private stakeholders working to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.

The Committee’s work was marked by an alarming observation: there has been a substantial deterioration in the food situation since 2016, due primarily to conflicts and to the impact of climate change, as shown in the FAO’s recent report on the issue.

Against this background, the CFS emphasised the urgent need for collective mobilisation, involving states, civil society and the private sector, and focusing especially on supporting women and young people in rural areas.

The Committee also addressed migration, which remains a highly sensitive issue, and its link to agriculture, highlighting the fact that this question needs to be tackled by international bodies in a rational and dispassionate way.

World Food Day was celebrated on 16 October in the presence of the King of Lesotho, Queen Letizia of Spain and numerous ministers. The speakers particularly stressed the importance of sustaining the ambition to achieve SDG 2 fully within the timeframe that has been set out.

The fight to eliminate hunger and promote food security is a priority for Monaco’s Official Development Assistance during the period 2018–2020, with EUR 6.5 million allocated to around 20 relevant projects in Africa. Monaco also supports the work of the CFS High Level Panel of Experts and will be contributing to new programmes aimed at rural populations. In addition, the Principality will have a seat on the FAO Council from 2019.

* Emilie Silvestre, Programme Coordinator at the Department of International Cooperation (DCI) in Monaco, and Yordanos Pasquier, Senior Programme Manager at the DCI.