Georgia prepares for the UN Food Systems Summit

Georgia is getting ready for the UN Food Systems Summit, scheduled for September 2021. UN agencies, represented in Georgia, including FAO, support Georgian government in the preparation process for the summit. The Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Giorgi Khanishvili and the UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Sabine Machl participated in the working meeting, dedicated to the summit.

“COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges to Georgia and the whole world. Considering the situation, the Secretary-General’s decision to take the food security issues under his control and convene World Food Systems Summit, is very important. Georgia, as the UN member country, will be actively involved in the summit and will contribute to the solutions of challenges the world faces,” Khanishvili stated.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Sabine Machl highlighted the need to unite forces and find the ways to transform global food systems.

“We need to think how to get healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems. Our dialogue will define Georgia’s path in achieving these goals. All countries participating in the summit are expected to develop recommendations for establishing sustainable global food systems,” Sabine Machl stated.

The working meeting, conducted online, was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, FAO, as well as other organization and experts in the field.

UN Food Systems Summit is a global event, which will be hosted by the UN Secretary-General in September 2021. Prior to the summit, all participant countries will conduct preparation dialogue meetings, which should lead to the development of the recommendation towards the development of sustainable food systems for the global community. The participant countries are expected to present the recommendations during a meeting scheduled for July 2021. The Summit will bring together key players from the worlds of science, business, policy, healthcare and academia, as well as youth organizations, environmental activists, and other key stakeholders. These actors will come together to work out positive changes to the world’s food systems, to make healthy food, produced with environmental impact accessible for all and make global sustainable food systems a reality by year 2030.