World Food Forum: Youth take charge of shaping the future of food at landmark event
| Youth from a broad range of backgrounds and expertise participated to the opening day of the World Food Forum with the aim of spurring action to help transform agri-food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 ("No hunger"). The live-streamed opening ceremony in Rome saw opening remarks delivered by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, followed by a special message read on behalf of Pope Francis. Queen Letizia of Spain, who is a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Special Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition, was also among the dignitaries who spoke to an audience of young farmers, youth leaders, entrepreneurs, influencers and celebrities. The opening event also featured Pacha Kanchay an indigenous spiritual leader from Columbia and US Youth Poet Laureate Meera Dasgupta. |
| Pope Francis sent a message to youth leaders on the opening day of the World Food Forum, a global movement that seeks to harnesses the energy and creativity of young people to shape a better future for our food. The World Food Forum brings together youth from a broad range of backgrounds and expertise with the aim of spurring action to help transform agri-food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 ("No hunger"). The live-streamed opening ceremony in Rome saw opening remarks delivered by the president of Costa Rica, followed by a special message read on behalf of Pope Francis. Queen Letizia of Spain, who is a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Special Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition, was also among the dignitaries who spoke to an audience of young farmers, youth leaders, entrepreneurs, influencers and celebrities. The opening event also featured an indigenous spiritual leader from Columbia, US Youth Poet Laureate Meera Dasgupta, young artists and musicians like AY Young, who has used his popularity to raise awareness about sustainability and raise money to bring people electricity. “I ask to the youth gathered in the World Food Forum to be bold and determined, I ask them to remain united and steadfast in their intentions. Not to be mean in their dreams, to fight for a better future and to transform these yearnings into concrete and meaningful actions.” - Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican’s Secretary of State Queen Letizia said young people’s energy was crucial to transforming our food systems. “Women, indigenous peoples, smallholder farmers must be at the centre of food systems’ decision-making processes.” - Her Majesty Queen Letizia of Spain The virtual gathering is the first follow-up to the United Nations Food Systems Summit, which was held in New York just over a week ago. The summit, which ended with the slogan “From New York back to Rome,” tasked FAO, along with the other Rome-based UN agencies, with ensuring the success of ambitious and urgent efforts designed to make the world's agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. “I applaud this forum for gathering such a diverse area of partners. By drawing on their expertise and harnessing the energy and the innovative power of youth, I have no doubt that we can share a better food future.” - Abdulla Shahid, President of the UN General Assembly The five-day flagship event ends on Tuesday with a Youth Action Assembly tasked with coming up with practical advice to governments and key stakeholders. “We are here to find solutions and ways to build back better for the future. We cannot go forward with the old thinking patterns and behaviours. We must innovate outside of the box.” - QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General The World Food Forum was conceived by the Youth Committee of the FAO. Working with youth networks at the other Rome-based UN food agencies, the Forum is aligned with the core principles of the Food Systems Summit. The aim is to listen to young voices and empower the younger generations to help forge a future of better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all. The Forum is based on the realization that while the younger generations have the most at stake, they also offer the kind of creativity, inventiveness and resilience needed to overcome the challenges. And there’s never been a better time to tap into such potential: today there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24 – the highest number in history. “Never before has there been such a singular opportunity for leveraging the passion and energy of youth for a better food future. And the World Food Forum is harnessing that energy.” - QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General The World Food Forum isn’t just using innovative ways to discover and scale up young people's most promising ideas, it is also providing young talents with tools and resources. The Transformative Research Challenge, for example, has made mentors available to young researchers to help them translate their ideas into top-notch research papers, grant proposals and policy suggestions. The Startup Innovation Awards has been connecting entrepreneurs with leaders in the investment, technology and policy communities. Masterclasses have offered lessons such as The Success Mindset, Food Systems and Nutrition Education, and Blockchain 101. “It’s time that we take real steps, that we are recognized and appreciated for what we already know, instead of creating barriers. Connecting the small pieces of the already present future into a bigger picture, as an example of how we do have the ability to redirect the system and use this as a starting point for future decisions. There is an explosion of initiatives and the momentum, I think, for change is now.” - Lisanne van Oosterhoud, Entrepreneur, Sustainability Advocate and WFF Champion Friday's opening ceremony ended with FAO and the Government of Switzerland announcing the winners of the second edition of the International Innovation Award for Sustainable Food Systems. More than 400 nominations from 83 countries were submitted. |
Youth send out message on food as a basic right at first World Food Forum
Youth leaders took centre stage in the fight to feed the world by raising awareness, inspiring action and identifying solutions at the World Food Forum, a youth-led movement whose first flagship event ended today, 5 October 2021.
Ahead of World Food Day on October 16, the final day of the Forum also featured Junior World Food Day, a special event celebrating food heroes of all ages in the fields of farming, food, innovation, science, sports and the arts.
Youth leaders took centre stage in the fight to feed the world by raising awareness, inspiring action and identifying solutions at the World Food Forum, a youth-led movement whose first flagship event ended today, 5 October 2021.
Thousands of young people from across the globe followed five days of virtual debates, innovation, science, and cultural celebrations in Rome. Rallying under the slogan “Nothing about us without us,” youth leaders called for food to be considered a public good and a basic human right. And with the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow just around the corner, they also urged politicians to work together to make agri-food systems more sustainable.
Conceived by the FAO Youth Committee, and jointly organized with the youth networks at the other Rome-based UN food agencies, the World Food Forum brings together youth from a broad range of backgrounds and expertise with the aim of spurring action to help transform agri-food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 ("No hunger"), SDG 1 (“No poverty”) and SDG 10 (“lower inequality”).
The Oct. 1-5 gathering was the culmination of more than a year of work with more than 25 events, roundtables and youth consultations that for the first time put young people at the heart of the decision-making process. It also offered a platform for the voices of indigenous communities, smallholder farmers and the marginalized to be heard loud and clear.
The five-day flagship event ended with a Youth Action Assembly, which was tasked with coming up with practical advice to governments and key stakeholders. The Youth Action Compendium is a plan of action for initiating youth-led agri-food systems transformation.
World Food Forum not only gave a seat at the table, it created that table according to youth leaders.
The World Food Forum five-day virtual gathering was the first follow-up to the United Nations Food Systems Summit, which was held in New York in September. The summit, which ended with the slogan “From New York back to Rome,” tasked FAO, along with the other Rome-based UN agencies, with ensuring the success of ambitious and urgent efforts designed to make the world's agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
Ahead of World Food Day on October 16, the final day of the Forum also featured Junior World Food Day, a special event celebrating food heroes of all ages in the fields of farming, food, innovation, science, sports and the arts.
Among those who participated by interacting and sharing their experiences with children were Bela Gil, a food activist, chef, TV host, nutritionist and author who sources local, seasonal and sustainable food and finds creative ways to use leftovers in her recipes; Ismahane Elouafi, the FAO Chief Scientist who is internationally known for her work on promoting the use of non-fresh water in agriculture and the empowerment of women in science; James Corden, an English actor and comedian – and the voice of Peter Rabbit - who is calling on young people to eat more locally sourced fruits and vegetables and waste less food.
While Thomas Pesquet, a French astronaut and FAO Goodwill Ambassador, sent a message to the youth from the International Space Station.
The FAO Director-General also shared with children his personal stories: Of how he had experienced hunger and poverty first-hand while growing up in a rice-farming family in rural China, of how proud he was to have contributed to China’s ending of hunger, both as a scientist and as a government official, and of how honoured and privileged he felt about now being able to offer his expertise and experience to people around the world.
Junior World Food Day also saw the launch of an inspiring multilingual music video featuring children in six countries – Armenia, Chile, China, Cameroon, Ireland and Lebanon – singing about what it takes to become a food hero and calling on others to join them.
Youth leaders took centre stage in the fight to feed the world by raising awareness, inspiring action and identifying solutions at the World Food Forum, a youth-led movement whose first flagship event ended today, 5 October 2021.
Thousands of young people from across the globe followed five days of virtual debates, innovation, science, and cultural celebrations in Rome. Rallying under the slogan “Nothing about us without us,” youth leaders called for food to be considered a public good and a basic human right. And with the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow just around the corner, they also urged politicians to work together to make agri-food systems more sustainable.
Conceived by the FAO Youth Committee, and jointly organized with the youth networks at the other Rome-based UN food agencies, the World Food Forum brings together youth from a broad range of backgrounds and expertise with the aim of spurring action to help transform agri-food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 ("No hunger"), SDG 1 (“No poverty”) and SDG 10 (“lower inequality”).
The Oct. 1-5 gathering was the culmination of more than a year of work with more than 25 events, roundtables and youth consultations that for the first time put young people at the heart of the decision-making process. It also offered a platform for the voices of indigenous communities, smallholder farmers and the marginalized to be heard loud and clear.
The five-day flagship event ended with a Youth Action Assembly, which was tasked with coming up with practical advice to governments and key stakeholders. The Youth Action Compendium is a plan of action for initiating youth-led agri-food systems transformation.
“Our biggest goal is always the same, that is a transformation of agri-food systems and World Food Forum had this thrive to give the youth the driving seeds to lead this change and we also know that we have only nine harvests left until 2030.”- Pramisha Thapaliya, Young Leader, WFF Assembly
World Food Forum not only gave a seat at the table, it created that table according to youth leaders.
“The policies that have been made, the work that you are doing today is going to affect the younger generations. So it is important that they have a seat at the table. And I’ll repeat what we had said in UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly), what we had said in Stockholm: ‘Nothing about us without us’, and that has to be reflected not just in words, but in actions.”- Yugratna Srivastava, Young Leader, WFF Assembly
The World Food Forum five-day virtual gathering was the first follow-up to the United Nations Food Systems Summit, which was held in New York in September. The summit, which ended with the slogan “From New York back to Rome,” tasked FAO, along with the other Rome-based UN agencies, with ensuring the success of ambitious and urgent efforts designed to make the world's agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
Junior World Food Day
Ahead of World Food Day on October 16, the final day of the Forum also featured Junior World Food Day, a special event celebrating food heroes of all ages in the fields of farming, food, innovation, science, sports and the arts.
Among those who participated by interacting and sharing their experiences with children were Bela Gil, a food activist, chef, TV host, nutritionist and author who sources local, seasonal and sustainable food and finds creative ways to use leftovers in her recipes; Ismahane Elouafi, the FAO Chief Scientist who is internationally known for her work on promoting the use of non-fresh water in agriculture and the empowerment of women in science; James Corden, an English actor and comedian – and the voice of Peter Rabbit - who is calling on young people to eat more locally sourced fruits and vegetables and waste less food.
While Thomas Pesquet, a French astronaut and FAO Goodwill Ambassador, sent a message to the youth from the International Space Station.
“The world really needs to favor sustainable farming that protect the environment. We can help choosing foods produced with sustainable methods, or food that use less water from irrigation to produce and are kinder to the earth and soils."- European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Pesquet
The FAO Director-General also shared with children his personal stories: Of how he had experienced hunger and poverty first-hand while growing up in a rice-farming family in rural China, of how proud he was to have contributed to China’s ending of hunger, both as a scientist and as a government official, and of how honoured and privileged he felt about now being able to offer his expertise and experience to people around the world.
“I am proud to have contributed to ending hunger in China both as a scientist and as a government official. As a Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, I am very honoured and privileged to be able to offer my expertise and experience to serve all the people around the world. I could not have a possible dream like this as a poor rural kid fifty years ago. This has happened to me, this could happen to any of you in the future.”- QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
Junior World Food Day also saw the launch of an inspiring multilingual music video featuring children in six countries – Armenia, Chile, China, Cameroon, Ireland and Lebanon – singing about what it takes to become a food hero and calling on others to join them.
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