World Food Day 2022: Leave no one behind
Global ceremony at FAO with messages from Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General Guterres and Italy’s President Mattarella
World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Collective action across 150 countries and in more than 50 languages makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated UN days of the year worldwide. Hundreds of events and outreach activities bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, farmers, and youth.
On Friday, 14 October, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, will officially launch this year’s celebrations with a hybrid event in Rome together with the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri and the heads of the other UN Rome-based agencies Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), David M. Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP).
The Ceremony will also feature special messages from Pope Francis, the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
European Space Agency Astronaut and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Thomas Pesquet, renowned chef and food hero Joan Roca, and Lebanese media professional and FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for the Near East and North Africa, Darine El Khatib will join Junior World Food Day celebrations in the afternoon.
The celebrations will also highlight people whose actions are transforming agrifood systems with FAO’s first-ever Achievement Awards, conferred to entities or individuals, including FAO teams or employees, for outstanding technical cooperation or humanitarian work at country level.
World Food Day 2022 launches a resounding call to Leave no one behind, through Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life. It calls for global solidarity to transform agrifood systems in a bid to foster inclusive economic growth, address inequalities, increase resilience, and achieve sustainable development.
Today, as many as 828 million people suffer from hunger and 3.1 billion people – almost 40 percent of the world’s population – cannot afford a healthy diet. The climate emergency, conflicts, rising prices, environmental degradation and the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are all impacting on food access and security. We need to build a sustainable world where everyone, everywhere has regular access to enough nutritious food.
World Food Day once again recognises #FoodHeroes throughout the agrifood system who, no matter the circumstances, continue to produce, plant, harvest, fish or transport our food, but also advocate for change, helping to grow, nourish and sustain our world.
Focus on emergencies on 13 October
In addition, on 13 October, the World Food Day side-event Agricultural aid: A game plan to tackle the hunger crisis organized by FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) will take place with the participation of the FAO Director- General, the OER Director Rein Paulsen, and representatives from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The aim is to rethink the ways that we can tackle acute hunger at its roots rather than dealing with the symptoms. The event can be followed on Zoom (register here).
Media
The main World Food Day 2022 ceremony (10:00-11:00 CEST) and Junior World Food Day (14:00-15:30 CEST) – will be webcast here and can also be followed on Zoom (register here).
- LIVE WEBCAST: The event will be webcast live here
- WORLD FOOD DAY RESOURCES
- VIDEO
- RADIO
- OTHER MATERIALS
- FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @FAO #WorldFoodDay #FoodHeroes
- FOR MORE INFORMATION: Qingqing Wang [email protected]
- FAO Newsroom : +39 06 570 53625 [email protected]
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MEDIA ACCREDITATION:
To attend the events in person, please send request to [email protected] with scanned copies of a valid press card or letter of assignment on company stationery, and a copy of a valid ID (passport, identity card) before Thursday, 13 October 12:00 CEST.
Journalists who wish to attend the 14 October events in person, need to send request to [email protected] with scanned copies of a valid press card or letter of assignment on company stationery, and a copy of a valid ID (passport, identity card) before Thursday, 13 October 12:00 CEST.
To request interviews with FAO experts please contact: Qingqing Wang [email protected]