[Introduction]

• First of all, I would like to commend the Secretary-General, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, the Rome-based UN Agencies and our special hosts, Italy, for organising an excellent stocktaking event.

[EU efforts since the 2021 Summit]

• For the past three days, we have been able to review together progress on the commitments to action and identify obstacles to more effective implementation of food systems transformation.
• Challenges facing our societies are still huge, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the multiple crises regarding climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, to meet food security for all.
• The termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative by Russia on 17 July, despite the tremendous effort of the UN and Türkiye, is a striking and painful reminder to what Russia is doing to weaponize food, endangering food security for millions of people most vulnerable.
• This new threat to global food security has strengthened the EU’s resolve to take forward the European Green Deal, for the sake of accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Since the Summit, the EU and its Member States have been dedicated to the development of the global food system transformation agenda.
• Most recently, the EU submitted its “Pathway to Sustainable Food Systems Transformation”, which describes the relationship between the EU’s multiple domestic policy aims for its food system.
• It also underlines the EU’s commitment to its international obligations, international cooperation, and trade.
• Bilaterally, the EU has also been funding “Food Systems Assessments” in around 50 partner countries, giving support to institutional structures and pathway implementation to assist those countries in their food systems transformation.
• Through its international partnerships, the EU supports fully partner countries in improving the business and investment environment and promoting trade and trade facilitation.

[EU agricultural sector contributes to meeting the SDGs]

• Within the European Green Deal agenda, the Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity Strategies are the two central elements for the transformation of EU food system, to make them sustainable and resilient.
• These two strategies are designed to be mutually reinforcing, bringing together all food chain actors and consumers to jointly engage to meet the SDGs.
• Integral to these strategies, the new Common Agricultural Policy has been designed to guide and support European farmers – including small farmers – to improve their environmental and climate performance.

• Through our commitments, the EU is putting its agriculture sector ahead in contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• First, our reforms will contribute to the social dimension of sustainability, and help substantively to ending poverty.
• For millions of citizens today across the globe, agriculture is still the most significant means of income. This is not to be taken for granted; agriculture needs to remain a key driver of economic growth because it relies on and support a vibrant population living in rural areas.
• Let us keep this in mind in the run up to the SDG Summit and the Summit of the Future.
• Obviously, the agri-food sector is doing the essential part in meeting SDG 2 towards Zero Hunger, and great efforts are being made to reduce food loss and waste, thus contributing to achieving SDG 12.
• Food systems provide food to a growing world population with growing challenges, notably from the depletion of healthy natural resources, from soil to water.
• Sustainable agricultural practices, in a whole system approach, need to be exponentially used worldwide. There is no other way; we need to do it in a collaborative way, for our future generations.
• While meeting SDG 2, food system will have to meet other targets to mitigate, cope and adjust to environmental challenges on water quality and management, climate action and biodiversity loss and land degradation.
• As you can see, distinguished delegates, the contributions of the food system are wide-ranging and interconnected.

[Looking forward]

• In terms of accelerating the achievement of these Sustainable Development Goals, and the links between this stocktake and the SDGs Summit, the main focus of this transition towards sustainable food systems lies in the following priority areas:
  • The transition is a necessary step towards achieving climate neutrality and the maintenance of biodiversity and protection of forests.
  • The transition will also build the resilience of the food system and works towards strengthening natural resources, most immediately water.
  • Linked to the global gains of food security, food system transformation improves social protection, creating new and decent job opportunities.
  • Strengthening investment in development priorities, especially investing in peace.
• Given the strong relation between food system transformation, climate change and nutrition, the food systems agenda has strong links to the forthcoming COP28 in December this year, COP16 next year and the Nutrition for Growth Summit, scheduled to be held in France in 2024.