On 25 February, the Government of Guatemala and Guatemala’s UN Country Team jointly launched a national dialogue process on the UN Food Systems Summit that will take place in New York this September.
The opening of this dialogue took the form of a high-level event hosted at Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Relations. Keynote speakers included Rebeca Arias Flores, the UN Resident Coordinator in Guatemala; Dr David Nabarro, Senior Advisor on Food Systems Summit Dialogues; Carla Caballeros, CEO of the Guatemalan Chamber of Agriculture; Pedro Brolo, Guatemala’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; and the President of Guatemala himself, Alejandro Giammattei.
You can watch the recording of the event here.
In his speech, Dr Nabarro congratulated the Republic of Guatemala and the UN Country Team for being among the first countries to organize dialogues like these. He highlighted the importance of finding consensus on the necessary changes in food systems that will contribute to their long-term sustainability, as well as the importance of women, youth and indigenous peoples being involved in the decision-making process.
This opening session was followed on 26 February by a webinar that addressed the themes of the Summit’s Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all. This event featured a panel discussion, organized by IFAD, on how to move towards a Zero Hunger world and, in particular, a Zero Hunger Guatemala.
Guatemala’s national dialogue on the UN Food Systems Summit will continue until June. Five further sessions are planned, each with a focus on the Summit’s Action Tracks: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns, Boost nature-positive production, Advance equitable livelihoods, and Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress. These events will be followed by a final recapitulating session.
This series of dialogues is of particular relevance in a country where, according to the joint IFAD-FAO-WFP-UNICEF-PAHO report Panorama of Food and Nutritional Security in Latin America and the Caribbean 2020, about 45 per cent of its people (7.8 million persons) suffered from food insecurity in 2019 and 16 per cent (2.8 million) from hunger.
The deliberative process taking place during these events will involve UN agencies, departments of the Government of Guatemala, NGOs, and private sector organizations and representatives. The conclusions reached during these dialogues will be delivered by the Government of Guatemala to the Summit’s Steering Committee.
As stated by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Dr Agnes Kalibata, this autumn’s summit must be a “People’s and Solutions Summit.” Guatemala, with the support of IFAD and other UN agencies, is already doing its part to make it so.
The opening of this dialogue took the form of a high-level event hosted at Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Relations. Keynote speakers included Rebeca Arias Flores, the UN Resident Coordinator in Guatemala; Dr David Nabarro, Senior Advisor on Food Systems Summit Dialogues; Carla Caballeros, CEO of the Guatemalan Chamber of Agriculture; Pedro Brolo, Guatemala’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; and the President of Guatemala himself, Alejandro Giammattei.
You can watch the recording of the event here.
In his speech, Dr Nabarro congratulated the Republic of Guatemala and the UN Country Team for being among the first countries to organize dialogues like these. He highlighted the importance of finding consensus on the necessary changes in food systems that will contribute to their long-term sustainability, as well as the importance of women, youth and indigenous peoples being involved in the decision-making process.
This opening session was followed on 26 February by a webinar that addressed the themes of the Summit’s Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all. This event featured a panel discussion, organized by IFAD, on how to move towards a Zero Hunger world and, in particular, a Zero Hunger Guatemala.
Guatemala’s national dialogue on the UN Food Systems Summit will continue until June. Five further sessions are planned, each with a focus on the Summit’s Action Tracks: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns, Boost nature-positive production, Advance equitable livelihoods, and Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress. These events will be followed by a final recapitulating session.
This series of dialogues is of particular relevance in a country where, according to the joint IFAD-FAO-WFP-UNICEF-PAHO report Panorama of Food and Nutritional Security in Latin America and the Caribbean 2020, about 45 per cent of its people (7.8 million persons) suffered from food insecurity in 2019 and 16 per cent (2.8 million) from hunger.
The deliberative process taking place during these events will involve UN agencies, departments of the Government of Guatemala, NGOs, and private sector organizations and representatives. The conclusions reached during these dialogues will be delivered by the Government of Guatemala to the Summit’s Steering Committee.
As stated by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Dr Agnes Kalibata, this autumn’s summit must be a “People’s and Solutions Summit.” Guatemala, with the support of IFAD and other UN agencies, is already doing its part to make it so.