DG Okonjo-Iweala: Leverage trade to build sustainable food systems
DG Okonjo-Iweala: Leverage trade to build sustainable food systems
In a video message to the United Nations’ Food Systems Summit on 23 September, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the importance of international trade in building sustainable food systems.
Noting the opportunity provided by the 12th Ministerial Conference in late November to make progress on critical agricultural issues, she called on world leaders to support and reinvigorate the trading system to ensure greater sustainability.
The United Nations’ Food Systems Summit, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, is part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The Summit will launch new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.
In the run-up to the Summit, the WTO Secretariat organized on 6 July a Global Dialogue on Trade in collaboration with the UN Food Systems Summit. In her opening remarks, DG Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the vital role of trade in ensuring global food security.
Participants discussed how the trading system could be reformed to address the food needs of tomorrow and to support sustainable development. The dialogue can be viewed here.
