Statement by the UN Resident Coordinator Babatunde Ahonsi at the Western Area Regional Food System Summit Dialogue

Honourable Minister of State, Office of the Vice President of Sierra Leone, and the National Convenor of the Food Systems Summit,

Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security,

Her Excellency, the Irish Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone,

Distinguished delegates from the Western Region,

Development partners and UN colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be attending the first Food System Dialogue for Sierra Leone today.

In 2019, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) called for a Food Systems Summit, underpinned by an inclusive engagement process to unleash the power of food to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Secretary-General invited global leaders and all Member States to participate in the Summit, and it is commendable that Sierra Leone through the National Convenor in the office of the Vice President has committed to be part of the process.

The dialogues are envisaged to help nations discuss context-specific action tracks, which are identified through a consultative process. The dialogues are also aimed to identify the practices and policies that will have the greatest impact on the achievement of the desired future vision within the local food systems.

The Food System Dialogues for Sierra Leone will contribute to the UN Food System Summit in September 2021, with a pre-summit taking place in Italy on 26 -28 July 2021. Therefore, we believe that the planned dialogues in the four regions of the country will follow the principle of inclusivity to ensure that no one amongst the food system actors is left behind.

As Sierra Leone embarks on this journey, it is important to highlight the worsening food insecurity statistics in the country, which are exacerbated by the impending impact of successive waves of COVID-19. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragilities and inequalities in food systems globally and nationally, and this underscores the urgent need to ensure that food systems are more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.

The UN Country Team in Sierra Leone, with the leadership of the UN Rome-based Agencies—Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme, and International Fund for Agricultural Development, will continue to provide both technical and financial support to the food system dialogue process in Sierra Leone.

Finally, we aspire to see an outcome which charts out a transformative path for the food system in Sierra Leone, a path that promotes sustainable systems, socio-economic growth, and environmental consideration in attaining food and nutrition security without compromising current and future generation.

Through our actions, we can all contribute to a world in which no one is hungry, no one is poor, and no one is left behind. Let us Grow, Nourish and Sustain Together.