Addis ababa: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni underscored the critical importance of food security during her speech at the 2nd United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) held in Addis Ababa. This marks the first time the summit is being hosted in Africa, reflecting the continent’s crucial role in addressing global food security challenges.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, Meloni emphasized Italy’s special relationship with Ethiopia and the broader African continent, highlighting pragmatic cooperation based on tangible projects and initiatives. She pointed out that global food insecurity, which still affects around 10% of the world’s population, is particularly severe in Africa, where one in five people suffer from hunger and lack access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

Meloni further noted that the global food security crisis has been exacerbated by recent world events, including the Russia-Ukraine war, which disrupted economic and trade flows, destabilized energy markets, and fueled inflation, impacting the most vulnerable nations, particularly in the Global South and Africa. She stressed that when people lack access to sufficient food, it can lead to poverty, conflict, and increased vulnerability to violence and forced migration.

The Prime Minister elaborated that food insecurity is not only a political issue but also an economic one. She highlighted the importance of viewing food systems as engines of growth and development, emphasizing the need for resilient production and distribution chains to enable communities to thrive with their resources.

Meloni outlined Italy’s approach, particularly through the Mattei Plan for Africa, which emphasizes the agri-food sector. She mentioned Italy’s successful projects in Algeria, where efforts are underway to reclaim desert land for agricultural use, creating jobs and benefiting hundreds of thousands of people. Similar initiatives are being pursued in Senegal, Ghana, Congo, C´te d’Ivoire, and Tunisia, focusing on enhancing local agricultural capacities and promoting food sovereignty.

Italy’s goal, she concluded, is to support self-reliance rather than dependency, allowing communities to shape their own production models and invest in local, high-quality products. Small and medium-sized farmers, deemed the backbone of agricultural systems, must receive the means to live with dignity and fair recognition for their work.