(VOVWORLD) - The United Nations has staged a three-day food summit in Rome, Italy on Monday aimed at tackling a “broken” global food system where millions are starving, billions are obese and the planet is suffering.
 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the opening of the event. (photo: UN) |
The food systems summit comes amid growing food insecurity around the world, with UN agencies warning of an increasing number of people suffering from chronic hunger.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the opening of the meeting that the global food systems are broken, and billions of people are paying the price. More than 780 million people go hungry around the globe, even as nearly one-third of the world’s food is wasted or lost. And while 462 million people are underweight, two billion are overweight or obese, he added.
The summit brings together representatives from the UN’s three food agencies headquartered in Rome: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), alongside heads of states, government representatives and delegates.