15 March 2012: In a speech delivered at a high-level roundtable on Food, Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the right to food and stressed the need to transform the global approach to achieving food security by increasing production while protecting natural resources, and empowering women and smallholder farmers.

The event took place in New York, USA, from 15-16 March 2012, and was organized in the run-up to the UN’s Third Intersessional Meeting in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). In the speech, which was delivered by Janos Pasztor, Executive Secretary of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, Ban called for a reduction in food waste, increased stakeholder engagement in decision-making, and the creation of public-private sector partnerships. He underscored the challenges posed by volatile food prices and the impacts of climate change, stressing that “as weather patterns become more unpredictable, agriculture needs to become more resilient and ‘climate-smart’.” Ban noted that sustainable development is one of the five priorities in his Action Agenda over the next five years, and that the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability is calling for a 21st century Green Revolution that increases productivity while reducing resource intensity and protecting biodiversity. [UN News Release] [Secretary-General’s Remarks] [Swiss Government Press Release]