JUNIOR WORLD FOOD DAY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Youth activists, chefs, influencers, and innovators gathered on Thursday (October 19th) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, to mark Junior World Food Day and share concrete actions to protect water. Their aim is to achieve a more sustainable and food secure world for future generations. In a context of increasing world hunger and conflict, participants emphasized the importance of preserving water, a natural resource that cannot be taken for granted.

Youth activists, chefs, influencers, and innovators gathered on Thursday (October 19th) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, to mark Junior World Food Day and share concrete actions to protect water. Their aim is to achieve a more sustainable and food secure world for future generations.

In a context of increasing world hunger and conflict, participants emphasized the importance of preserving water, a natural resource that cannot be taken for granted.

FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, in his opening remarks, stated that water is the basis for life and food. Looking at the challenges and solutions, QU called on young people to invest their positive energy, passion and innovative spirit in contributing to a more water and food secure future.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “Dear friends, you are the future, and you need to continue our legacy to ensure a better world, for people, planet and prosperity”.

At the core of the day’s activities was the need to foster understanding that what we eat and how food is produced impacts water.

FAO Director-General noted that in a world where 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries and where around 600 million people depend, at least partially, on aquatic food systems for a living, it is crucial to build sustainable agrifood systems that offer enough nutritious food and respect our natural resources.

Many of the people most impacted by lack of water are smallholder farmers who already struggle to meet their daily needs, particularly women, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, and refugees, QU Dongyu said.

Talking to his young audience, FAO Director-General spoke of a collective mission to contribute to a more sustainable water management, and a food-secure future, and told that the participation of young people is vital, with the future of our planet belonging to them. 

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “Big problems can be solved through small actions. We have a collective mission to contribute to a more sustainable management of water, and a food-secure future. Your participation is vital, the future of our planet belongs to you. You can make a difference by choosing environmentally friendly food, wasting less water and less food, and finding safe ways to re-use water, and also preventing water pollution. Together, we have the power to create a world where everyone, everywhere, have enough food and safe water.”

Chef and FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ecuador Rodrigo Pacheco emphasized the link between water security and biodiversity, and made a call to young people to protect trees and be the future guardians of our planet.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Rodrigo Pacheco, Chef and FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ecuador: “The more trees we have in our planet, the more water we have and this is why biodiversity is important. Water and biodiversity are directly connected. I invite you all to be part of the solution by planting many trees and taking care of the are already here in our planet.”

Youth activist Olivia Mandle said that it is reasonable to be scared by the climate crisis, but it is not acceptable not to do something about it.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Olivia Mandle, Youth activist: “Everyone no matter how old can make a big difference. Everyone can be an activist all you need to do is act, start small with your footprint in your community, in your home, in your school. Every action count and there has never been a more urgent time for action than right now. We are in a fight for our own survival and only by working together can we build a brighter healthier and cleaner future for all, where none is left behind.”

Garden designer, Diarmuid Gavin, FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ireland, stressed the importance of better water management and encouraged everyone to learn from nature when it comes to growing plants.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Diarmuid Gavin, garden designer, FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ireland: “In every way that we live and in everything that we have we must look after the planet, so I stopped using all chemicals and artificial feeds and I began to look at what the forest did and look at what nature had given us. And if we all do that, and if we all garden with nature instead of against it and realize that the resources that we kind of waste so often are very very precious. If we all do that just a little bit, we’ll have a much healthier planet”.

The gathering saw the participation of international chefs such as Anahita Dhondy from India, Bela Gil from Brazil, Fatmata Binta from Ghana, and Max Mariola from Italy.

Athlete and UNDP Regional Goodwill Ambassador for climate action, Michael Haddad from Lebanon, Matteo Ward, advocate of sustainable fashion from Italy also intervened in the event.

Alongside the event the games and exhibits of the World Food Day Kid Experience help to bring home the message of protecting water. These include cooking demos teaching children how to prepare healthy food, an immersive water experience that promises to awaken the senses and provide a greater understanding of the vital role water plays in life and food, window displays showcasing water action solutions and food heroes, and games such as a water action game. Participants roll the dice and move their counter. Sustainable actions allow them to move forward, while negative unsustainable actions hold them back.

STORY: FAO / JUNIOR WORLD FOOD DAY 2023 

TRT: 05’:24’’

SOURCE: FAO

RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 19 OCTOBER 2023, ROME, ITALY

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, FAO headquarters

2. Zoom in, sign reading “FAO”  

3. Wide shot, Junior World Food Day ceremony at FAO plenary hall

4. Wide shot, FAO Director-General delivering his speech

5. Med shot, audience listening

6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “Dear friends, you are the future, and you need to continue our legacy to ensure a better world, for people, planet and prosperity”.

7. Med shot, FAO Director-General speaking from the podium

8. Wide shot, audience listening

9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “Big problems can be solved through small actions. We have a collective mission to contribute to a more sustainable management of water, and a food-secure future. Your participation is vital, the future of our planet belongs to you. You can make a difference by choosing environmentally friendly food, wasting less water and less food, and finding safe ways to re-use water, and also preventing water pollution. Together, we have the power to create a world where everyone, everywhere, have enough food and safe water.”

10. Med shot, Rodrigo Pacheco speaking

11. Wide shot, chefs speaking onstage (from left to right Fatmata Binta, Bela Gil, Rodrigo Pacheco, Anahita Dhondy, Max Mariola)

12. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Rodrigo Pacheco, chef and FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ecuador: “The more trees we have in our planet, the more water we have and this is why biodiversity is important. Water and biodiversity are directly connected. I invite you all to be part of the solution by planting many trees and taking care of the are already here in our planet.”

13. Med shot, youth activist Olivia Mandle speaking

14. Wide shot, Olivia Mandle speaking on a screen

15. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Olivia Mandle, youth activist: “Everyone no matter how old can make a big difference. Everyone can be an activist all you need to do is act, start small with your footprint in your community, in your home, in your school. Every action count and there has never been a more urgent time for action than right now. We are in a fight for our own survival and only by working together can we build a brighter healthier and cleaner future for all, where none is left behind.”

16. Wide shot, garden designer, FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ireland, Diarmuid Gavin, speaking

17. Med shot, garden designer, FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ireland, Diarmuid Gavin, speaking

18. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Diarmuid Gavin, Garden designer, FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ireland: “In every way that we live and in everything that we have we must look after the planet, so I stopped using all chemicals and artificial feeds and I began to look at what the forest did and look at what nature had given us. And if we all do that, and if we all garden with nature instead of against it and realize that the resources that we kind of waste so often are very very precious. If we all do that just a little bit, we’ll have a much healthier planet”.

19. Med shot, student asking a question to speakers

20. Med shot, chef Bela Gil speaking onstage (from left to right Fatmata Binta, Bela Gil, Rodrigo Pacheco, Anahita Dhondy, Max Mariola)

21. Close-up, UNDP Regional Goodwill Ambassador for climate action, Michael Haddad, speaking

22. Med shot, Matteo Ward, advocate of sustainable fashion from Italy speaking

23. Top shot, FAO plenary hall

24. Wide shot, FAO Director-General inaugurating the World Food Day Kid Experience

25. Med shot, FAO Director-General inaugurating the World Food Day Kid Experience

26. Wide shot, Junior World Food Day speakers inaugurating at World Food Day Kid Experience

27. Wide shot, children participating at a cooking demo at World Food Day Kid Experience 

28. Med shot, children being interviewed 

29. Med shot, chef Fatmata Binta (left) and Anahita Dhondy (right) cooking with children

30. Close-up, child cooking chickpeas 

31. Tracking shot, woman entering the immersive water experience

32. Pan right, screen inside the immersive water experience

33. Wide shot, people attending the immersive water experience

34. Med shot, pan left screen showing QR codes

35. Close-up, tablet displaying game against food loss and waste

36. Med shot, children visiting the World Food Day Kid Experience

37. Close-up, screen showing video

38. Various, children participating to the water action game

39. Wide shot, children shouting “World Food Day!”