WHO chief stresses need of profound change in food systems
WHO chief underlined the need for a profound change in food systems on Friday.
Leading experts discussed the current challenges facing global food security and their implications for future crises in a session titled “Feeding the World: Ensuring Global Food Security in Times of Crisis” as part of the TRT World Forum 2022.
‘Over the long term, we need a profound change in food systems.
We need to end unsustainable production and consumption practices that lead to environmental degradation and increase the likelihood of unsafe and unhealthy food, antimicrobial resistance and Zoonotic diseases,’ Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a video message at the forum.
“The global hunger crisis affects more than 800 million people, driven by conflicts and economic shocks, compounded by climate change,” said Ghebreyesus, pointing out that infants, small children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are hit the hardest.
Chris Hegadorn, Former Secretary of the Committee on World Food Security, said according to UN reports, 823 million people are food insecure, and 45 countries are in urgent need of food assistance, including 33 in Africa.
The TRT World Forum 2022, a two-day annual event, started in Istanbul on Friday.
The gathering, which is held under the theme of Mapping the Future: Uncertainties, Realities and Opportunities this year, brings together academics, journalists, intellectuals, politicians, and members of civil society from around the globe.
Nearly 100 speakers and over 1,000 participants from nearly 40 countries attended the forum, according to the director general of TRT, Türkiye’s public broadcaster.
