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Rome: Mediterranean Dialogue on Food Crisis

Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), urged countries in the Mediterranean to work together to mitigate food security risks that have been further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

Duration 2m57s

Edit Version International

Video Type Video News Release (VNR)

Date 06/08/2022 7:32 PM

File size 342.75 MB

Unique ID UF2FPQ

All editorial uses permitted

Production details and shotlist

UNFAO Source FAO Video

Shotlist STORY: ROME / MEDITERRANEAN DIALOGUE ON FOOD CRISIS

TRT: 2:57

SOURCE: FAO

RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /ITALIAN /NATS

DATELINE: 8 JUNE 2022, ROME, ITALY

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, meeting room

2. Wide shot, FAO Director-General and Italian FM at podium

3. Wide shot, delegates looking at screen

4. Screen with remote participants

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Luigi Di Maio, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy:

“Italy is a strong advocate for the importance of reaching out to the most affected counties. We are ready to hear from them about their needs and concerns, and ensure that whatever the international action is taken is consistent with your request. We also think that food security issues are best addressed at the regional level. Countries of the Mediterranean region are bound by geography, history and comon food culture - the Mediterranean diet, which is recognized by UNESCO as intangible world heritage.”

6. Wide shot, podium

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Qu Dongyu, Director-General, FAO:

“Food insecurity and high price can become a trigger for instability, particularly in context with a sharp inequalities and fragile institutions. We must keep our global trade and food systems open and ensure that agrifood exports are not restricted or taxed.”

8. Wide shot, podium

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Qu Dongyu, Director-General, FAO:

“It is a high time to transform agrifood system for people peace and prosperity, by working together in partnership. FAO is committed to continue to work with all the countries in the Mediterranean Sea region, subregion and globally, for a world free from hunger and malnutrition. Let's do our best.”

10. Wide shot, podium with delegates

11. Close up, screen with German FM speaking

12. Wide shot, press room

13. Cutaway, reporter taking notes

14. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Luigi Di Maio, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy:

“The following weeks will be crucial in unblocking the situation. I want to say it clearly that we expect clear and concrete signals from Russia because blocking the export of grain means keeping hostage and giving death sentence to millions of children, women and men. Italy will continue to work on finding solutions and to guarantee the food security of the countries most affected by the conflict, starting with those in the Mediterranean region.”

15. Wide shot, press room

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Qu Dongyu, Director-General, FAO:

“It's time for us to focus on the agrifood systems again: how to improve the infrastructure related to agrifood systems and Rural Development in the Mediterranean area.”

17. Med shot, Qu and Di Mayo shaking hands and leaving

Script Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), urged countries in the Mediterranean to work together to mitigate food security risks that have been further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

Qu Dongyu participates along with dozens of ministers from the Mediterranean region and Germany in summit to tackle higher prices for food, fertilizer and fuel.

The Ministerial Mediterranean Dialogue on Food Crisis, an event convened by Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, which drew ministers and government participants from more than 24 countries.

Di Maio opened the summit by underlining “the importance of reaching out to the most affected counties.”

“We are ready to hear from them about their needs and concerns and ensure that whatever the international action is taken is consistent with your request,” Di Mayo said. “We also think that food security issues are best addressed at the regional level,” he added.

In his address at the summit, FAO Director-General urged participants to “keep our global food trade system open and ensure that agrifood exports are not restricted or taxed.”

Qu outlined four major axis across which cooperative efforts should be made: (i) More investment in countries that are severely affected by the current increase in food prices; (ii) reduction of food loss and waste; (iii) better and more efficient use of natural resources, especially water and fertilizer; and (iv) a focus on technological and social innovations that can significantly reduce market failures in agriculture.

“Food insecurity and high prices can become a trigger for instability,” the Director-General warned. “It is high time to transform agrifood systems for people, peace and prosperity, by working together in partnership.”

The Mediterranean Sea region includes 22 countries on three continents, each with diverse natural resources, agricultural traditions and production potential. While agriculture supports many livelihoods across the region, and some countries have strong agricultural sectors, many rely on cereal imports to feed their population.

Ukraine was a major source of those imports, yet it is now logistically difficult to get the country’s farmers output to international markets. Finding alternative suppliers takes time and entails higher transportation costs, an extra burden as the FAO Food Price Index reached an all-time high in March of this year.

“The following weeks will be crucial in unblocking the situation,” the Italian Foreign Minister said at the press conference after the summit. “I want to say it clearly that we expect clear and concrete signals from Russia because blocking the export of grain means keeping hostage and giving death sentence to millions of children, women and men.”

Di Maio also said that “Italy will continue to work on finding solutions and to guarantee the food security of the countries most affected by the conflict, starting with those in the Mediterranean region.”

Director-General Qu called for improving “the infrastructure related to agrifood systems and focusing on “rural development in the Mediterranean area.”

Both Qu and Di Maio pointed to global support for that as evidenced by the signing last year, before the war in Ukraine broke out, of the Matera Declaration, at which G20 members pledged action in pursuit of zero hunger.

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