3rd edition of the Food for Talks Series “Strengthening Resilience to Disasters for Agriculture and Food & Nutrition Security”

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

A warm welcome to all of you for this special event organized jointly by FAO, WFP and the Government of Bangladesh.

This series of Talks was initiated last year by the FAO Geneva Office, and has already generated much interesting discussion about our shared challenges related to agriculture, food and nutrition security and sustainable development. And I am glad to be able to express my support again for this very welcome initiative, which brings together the many strengths of International Geneva to share ideas and key messages on these issues.

The particular potential of this series lies in its ability to explore issues in a more cross-cutting manner – and it is exactly this potential we are seeing fulfilled with this edition ahead of the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which will take place in a few weeks in Sendai.

Disaster Risk Reduction relates to the mandates of many Geneva-based United Nations and partner organizations, and can only be achieved if we work together. This has also been clear in the preparatory process leading up to the Sendai conference, which in large part has taken place here in Geneva.

With climate change, natural hazards are more and more frequent, and they can cause serious damage and have a very negative long-term impact on livelihoods, poverty reduction, agricultural development and food security. It is therefore crucial to develop resilient and sustainable agricultural practices and ecosystems to reduce the risks of food and nutrition insecurity. And all of this takes place against a backdrop of a growing global population, strong urbanization trends, heightened competition for natural resources and the need to increase the global food production. I am confident that the World Conference in Sendai will result in concise, focused, integrated and action-oriented outcomes in this respect, and I appreciate this opportunity also to wish our colleagues in UNISDR all the best for the final hectic phases of the preparations for this important event.

But the Sendai conference does not take place in isolation. It is part of a broader framework of new agendas being finalized this year, including on development and its financing and on climate change. All of these different pieces need to fit together in a larger puzzle for a truly sustainable future for all of us. And I appreciate that this wider context is part of the discussions here today.

Looking ahead, there is no doubt that the various Geneva-based partners working in these areas will be critical in the implementation process of the different policy frameworks. We need to be ready to pick up this challenge so we – together – can turn aspirations and targets into tangible improvements on the ground.

I hope that the Talk today will provide inspiration and practical points for that work and for stronger partnerships as we move into the implementation phase. This is a very good example of our combined Geneva Impact.

I wish you a constructive discussions today and look forward to the continuation of the Food for Talks Series.