Video Message
Excellencies,
Distinguished experts,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to address this important Expert Group Meeting on Sustainable Development Goal 2 and its interlinkages with other Goals.
This is the second of a series of four Expert Group Meetings that DESA is organizing, in collaboration with key UN system partners, to inform the thematic review at the 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July.
Let me begin by thanking the Food and Agriculture Organization for co-hosting the meeting in Rome and thanking all the UN system entities that contributed to the preparatory process.
Excellencies,
Distinguished experts,
The world stands at a crossroads.
We hit the halfway point for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals with only 15 per cent of the targets on track. Some 30 per cent of targets were found to be stagnating or regressing, including hunger targets.
Shockingly, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005. Worsening food insecurity and malnutrition have caused untold human suffering in many parts of the world, particularly among the most vulnerable populations.
In recent years, efforts to eliminate hunger and achieve the SDGs by 2030 have been challenged repeatedly - by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, conflicts, the cost-of-living crisis, and the intensifying impact of climate change.
How do we turn this around?
This is the question that this esteemed and diverse group of experts has been brought together to answer.
Your deliberations will be an important input to the review of SDG 2 at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development this year.
Distinguished experts,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the next two days, I challenge you to go beyond silos to identify the multiple dimensions of the gaps at hand and remain mindful of the synergies and trade-offs across the interlinked systems that support the SDGs.
I urge you to share bold and transformative ideas to help us move away from incremental change and set us on the path to safe, nutritious and sufficient food for all, and put an end to hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
I invite you to share actionable and pragmatic recommendations, from harnessing science, technology, innovation, and indigenous and traditional knowledge; to building trust and effective partnerships with youth, smallholder, and family farmers.
The success stories, best practices and scalable solutions you identify will be an important resource to help Member States deliver on their commitment at the 2023 SDG Summit to “accelerate actions to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition”.
I count on your continued leadership and partnership as we push forward to deliver on the SDGs by 2030.
I look forward to the outcome of your discussions.
Thank you.