The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Senator Pippa Hackett, today (Monday, November 2) participated in the 32nd Session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Conference for Europe (ERC).

In an address to the conference, Minister Hackett stated: ‘‘Ireland was among the first to support the call for a UN Food Systems Summit, and to raise awareness of the potential of food systems transformation.’’

Referring to Ireland’s recent contribution of €1 million for the Food Systems Summit, Minister Hackett stated that ‘‘this support will enable critical, pre-summit country-level dialogues where it is most needed, such as in least developed countries; in those experiencing conflict; and in small island developing states”.

Minister Hackett added: ‘‘Ireland is fully committed to ensuring a successful Food Systems Summit that, as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identifies and launches bold new actions to transform how we collectively produce and consume food, and to deliver progress on the 17 SDGs.’’

What is the UN FAO?

The FAO of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the UN responsible for ending hunger and achieving improved nutrition and food security for all.

FAO is leading international efforts in the fight against hunger and all forms of malnutrition through improving agricultural productivity and governance, while bettering the lives of rural populations and contributing to the growth of the world economy.

The FAO ERC is the highest governing body for the Europe and the Central Asia Region.

The 32nd session of the ERC is open to all members of the Europe and Central Asia region (54 member countries and one member organisation – EU), to representatives of the United Nations bodies and specialised agencies, and to selected observers e.g. civil society.

The UN Secretary-General will convene a Food Systems Summit during the United Nations General Assembly 2021 high-level week, as part of the Decade of Action to Deliver the SDGs, to promote change towards healthier, more sustainable, and equitable food systems.