Forum to focus on major challenges facing food systems in the world

Muscat: A meeting via video conferencing to prepare for the UN Food Systems Summit was organised on Sunday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, in cooperation with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The summit will be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly scheduled to be held at New York, US in September 2021.

The meeting was headed by Dr Saud Hamoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

Al Habsi said that the summit will address the major challenges facing the reality and future of food systems in the world at large.

He also stressed the importance of concerted efforts to find practical solutions for such challenges at the global, regional and local levels.

He pointed out that many food systems are fragile and on the brink of collapse as experienced currently by millions of people around the world due to COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Sultanate has made progress in food security index that covers food availability, quality and safety, he added.

Dr Nora Ourabah Haddad, FAO Representative in Oman said that these discussions aim at drawing courses to build up national sustainable food systems that will be presented months before the summit.

She reaffirmed the necessity to establish more resilient food systems which requires participation of all stakeholders to realise Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030).