Global Expo Spotlights Need to Ensure Healthy, Safe and Sufficient Food
The United Nations SecretaryGeneral, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has underscored the need for adequate food for all, lamenting that the world produces more than enough food to “feed every member of the human family, yet one in nine people still go hungry”.
The UN chieftain spoke in a message for the recent opening ceremony of a six-month long expo holding in Milan, Italy, in which the global body is participating to demonstrate that ending hunger in our lifetime is possible.
“The UN is proud to be here to highlight the cause of food security,” Mr. Ban said in his welcome video message screened in the UN Garden, an open-air area close to ‘Pavilion Zero’ and the Expo’s entrance, where visitors will be introduced to the UN theme for Expo 2015, ‘The Zero Hunger Challenge: United for a Sustainable World.’
Expo Milano 2015 runs through till October 31. Over this six-month period, Milan will become a global showcase where more than 140 participating countries, will showcase the best of their technology that offers a concrete answer to a vital need: being able to guarantee healthy, safe food for everyone, while respecting the planet, according to a UN release.
The Expo also involves international organisations, and expects to welcome over 20 million visitors to its 1.1 million square metres of exhibition area. A platform for the exchange of ideas on the theme of food, and promoting innovation for a sustainable future, Expo 2015 will give everyone the opportunity to find out about, and taste, the world’s best dishes, while discovering the best of the agri-food and gastronomic traditions of each of the exhibitor countries.
The Secretary-General also emphasised the need to urgently redress the dramatic imbalance in the global distribution of food, reiterating his global callto-action for a world without hunger.
“Everyone has a role to play,” stressed Ban, inviting visitors to discover UN content throughout the Expo site and learn “how the Zero Hunger Challenge relates to each and every one of us.
“This is why I launched the Zero Hunger Challenge, a global call to action for a world without hungry. We have brought this challenge to Expo Milano 2015. All of you have a role to play. We can do it if we can work together,” the UN chief said.
Ban’s initiative encourages participation by a range of organisations, social movements and people to end hunger in this lifetime. It promotes more investments and increased development cooperation, in line with existing national and international agreements.
For the first time in the history of universal expositions, the UN will not have a single pavilion but a horizontal presence, with content spread across numerous areas of the Expo site. Eighteen giant spoon installations comprise the UN presence, representing the five pillars of the Zero Hunger Chal- lenge, women’s empowerment and gender equality and other UN content related to Expo’s thematic areas.
Each spoon will be positioned in a UN space at the Expo site, including at the Pavilion Zero, which is expected to attract some 40 per cent of all Expo visitors. A number of UN panels or stele are to be located throughout the Pavilion informing visitors, in a simple storytelling style, about the links between the concepts present in each of the rooms.
The UN presence seeks to emphasise the strong link between the theme, ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’, and one of the fundamental UN missions: ensuring that all people have the access to safe and nutritious food to lead healthy and active lives, without compromising the needs of future generations.
The participation of the UN provides a unique opportunity to build momentum around food-related issues. In this regard, Ban has designated the organisation’s Rome-based agencies – Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP) – under the Director-General of FAO, to lead in the coordination of the 20 UN agencies participating at Expo.