Islamabad calls for joint action for food security at UN meeting

BILAWAL BHUTTO AND UN CHIEF DISCUSS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called for a joint action to tackle the food security challenges at the ministerial meeting on ‘Global Food Security Call to Action’ in New York.

Pakistan possesses the potential not only to meet its own food security needs but can also play its part to feed the people of the region and world but the country has so far not been able to unlock its own agricultural and economic potential, he said.

“If we are to deal comprehensively with the challenge of food security in the world today, we must have an equally comprehensive road map to deal with the existential crises of our time, which we all face, the climate crisis, Covid-19 pandemic and global conflict,” Bilawal said at the meeting. Highlighting the intensity of the climate crisis, he said climate change has an everincreasing direct threat to food security in Pakistan which is also facing an acute water shortage putting agriculture and food security at risk.

Bilawal met the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters on May 18. They discussed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at ending poverty and hunger, the Afghanistan crisis as well as Ukraine war and Jammu and Kashmir issue.

Economic ties

In New York, Bilawal had an hourlong meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the UN headquarters. They reaffirmed the “strong determination of Pakistan and the US to strengthen their broadbased long-standing bilateral relations”.

Partnerships

In their first face-to-face meeting, they covered the full spectrum of Pakistan-US relations and discussed expanding partnerships in climate, investment, trade, and health as well as people-to-people ties.

“Pakistan will work with the US administration to improve trade relations between Pakistan and the United States and create opportunities for American investors and Pakistani investors, and Pakistani businessmen and American entrepreneurs to work together,” the Pakistani foreign minister said. Bilawal shared the endeavours of Pakistan’s new government to stabilise its economy.

If we are to deal comprehensively with the challenge of food security in the world today, we must have an equally comprehensive road map to deal with the existential crises of our time, which we all face, the climate crisis, Covid-19 pandemic and global conflict.”

Shared objectives

The two expressed their resolve to work on their shared objectives of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

Referring to Pakistan’s current Chairmanship of Group of 77, Secretary Blinken said that the US looked forward to strengthening its relations with that Group through dialogue and communication.

Bilawal also had interactions with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting.

He stressed the need to enhance commercial and economic cooperation with all friendly states.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | Foreign Minister