Today Deputy Minister Emanuela Del Re has chaired the extraordinary videoconference meeting of the Group of Friends on Food Security and Nutrition, which unites 41 countries to the United Nations. The UN Vice Secretary General, Amina, and the President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, have participated. The meeting was co-organized by Italy, the Group of Friends President, together with Canada, Brazil and Egypt. For the co-organizing countries, Karina Gould, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Orlando Leite Ribeiro, the Vice Minister of Trade and International Relations of Brazil and the Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN have participated.
Opening the meeting, the Deputy Minister brought the experience of our country to the forefront in the fight against the spread of the virus, in order to offer food safety considerations to the group with the objective of avoiding a food catastrophe. During the debate, a convergence emerged on the immediate and medium-long term measures to be taken by the international community.
“As governments we must do everything we can to keep trade routes and distribution chains functioning” –stated Ms Del Re – “There is no excuse for restrictions on the national and international food movement, as there is no scientific evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food”.
Ms Del Re has said that Italy is ready to work with FAO to launch a “Food Coalition”, inviting all countries to join. We need to work together with all relevant actors, particularly the scientific community, in order to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the agri-food sector during the recovery from the pandemic”.
“If it is true that the virus is threatening our way of life, we can use this opportunity to build a healthier one” –has concluded the Vice Minister – “and to reconcile universal food security with income support, economic stimulus and the preservation of the planet”.
