FAO / WORLD FOOD DAY AND WORLD FOOD FORUM AND UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH FORUM PRESS CONFERENCE

On the 12th of October a press conference was held at FAO headquarters in Rome to present the initiatives planned for World Food Day and World Food Forum flagship events 2023 and the United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum.

The video includes excerpts of speeches from FAO’s Chief Economist Máximo Torero, FAO Chief Scientist, Ismahane Elouafi, FAO Land and Water Division Senior Officer, Jippe Hoogeveen and FAO Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit Yon Fernández-de-Larrinoa.

On the 12th of October a press conference was held at FAO headquarters in Rome to present the initiatives planned for World Food Day and World Food Forum flagship events 2023 and the United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum.

The video includes excerpts of speeches from FAO’s Chief Economist Máximo Torero, FAO Chief Scientist, Ismahane Elouafi, FAO Land and Water Division Senior Officer, Jippe Hoogeveen and FAO Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit Yon Fernández-de-Larrinoa.

The theme of World Food Day 2023 (October 16^th) is “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’’. 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries and around 600 million people who depend, at least partially, on aquatic food systems for a living are suffering the effects of pollution, ecosystem degradation, unsustainable practices and climate change.

The Day will highlight the importance of managing water wisely, producing food and other essential agricultural commodities with less water, while ensuring water is distributed equally, aquatic food systems are preserved, and nobody is left behind.

The World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event will take place at FAO headquarters in Rome on 16-20 October. 

The WFF’s flagship event comprises the WFF Global Youth Forum, the FAO Science and Innovation Forum and the FAO Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, supporting the need for an intergenerational dialogue among leaders and agrifood stakeholders.

The United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF) is also set to convene on 16-20 October at FAO Headquarters. The biennial event serves as a pivotal platform for Indigenous youth from around the world to engage in critical dialogues and advocate for meaningful change.

With over 200 Indigenous youth participants expected, UNGIYF 2023 will delve into pressing issues affecting Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems within the context of climate change and biodiversity conservation. This year's forum builds upon the significant groundwork laid by its inaugural edition in 2021 and the Global Indigenous Youth Declaration on Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems.

STORY: FAO / WORLD FOOD DAY AND WORLD FOOD FORUM AND UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH FORUM PRESS CONFERENCE

TRT: 4’:13’’

SOURCE: FAO

RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 12 OCTOBER 2023, ROME, ITALY

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, speakers at press conference
2. Pull focus, FAO logo
3. Med shot, audience listening
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO: “This year, we have an amazing forum, World Food Forum. We will have four events, the Youth Forum, the Science and Innovation Forum, the Hand in Hand Investment Forum and the Indigenous Forum, which is of a great importance for us to have all of them at the same time. The way we are operating this year is to bring all the pieces together rather than having independent forums. All of them are interactive and all of them are trying to share lessons learned from the youth to the upper generations, from the upper generations to the lower generations. There’s a lot of interactivity so that we can bring all what is needed in the process of the agrifood system transformation, which FAO strategic framework is looking for”.
5. Pan left, speakers at press conference
6. Close up, FAO Chief Scientist, Ismahane Elouafi speaking
7. SOUNDBITE (English), Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO: “What we need today is really harnessing everything we have from the science that we have done through experimentals, but also the knowledge of local people, the knowledge of small scale producers and the Indigenous knowledge. So it is time for us really to mix all these knowledges and come up with better solutions for tomorrow. Because when we look at the grand scheme, the biggest challenge we have today is definitely climate change”.
8. Med shot, audience listening
9. Wide shot, FAO Land and Water Division Senior Officer, Jippe Hoogeveen speaking
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jippe Hoogeveen, Senior Officer, FAO Land and Water Division: “This this topic has been chosen because there is a very straight relationship between water and food. Without water, there is no food and there is no food security without water security. So water is crucial for agriculture and FAO has already warned for years in different publications that water scarcity and pollutions are putting key food production systems at a breaking point. Rapid population growth, urbanization, economic development and climate change. They are all putting a stress on our water resources”.
11. Med shot, FAO Land and Water Division Senior Officer, Jippe Hoogeveen speaking
12. Med shot, audience listening
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Jippe Hoogeveen, Senior Officer, FAO Land and Water Division: “And since water affects everyone, everybody needs also to take action. So this includes individuals, families, schools, communities and all can make a difference by changing the way we use, consume and manage our water in our daily life”.
14. Med shot, FAO Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, Yon Fernández-de-Larrinoa, speaking
15. Close up, participant taking notes
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Yon Fernández-de-Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO: “This is a biennial forum and the time has come now to gather again, this time in presence. And the numbers that we are seeing and the interest is really raising. We have more than 481 Indigenous youth that have applied or have registered. They have sent us the work that they are doing in the communities to protect biodiversity, to protect their environment, the ecosystems. 186 are coming to Rome. They will be here next week from the 17^th [of October]. 51 countries. They speak more than 93 languages. 60% of them are women and they represent 98 Indigenous Nations and Indigenous Peoples, different groups from all over the world. We have 90 members of the global hub. But we are also bringing music. There are four Indigenous musicians and 14 chefs that are coming to cook the Indigenous foods in a way to call on the need to protect Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge system before it's too late”.
17. Wide shot, speakers at press conference
18. Med shot, audience listening
19. Wide shot, speakers at press conference