Luigi Di Maio, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Maurizio Martina, Deputy Director General of FAO; Ettore Prandini, President of Coldiretti; Stefano Zamagni, President of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. Introduced by Bernhard Scholz, President of the Meeting for Friendship among Peoples Foundation ETS. Moderator Stefano Gatti, Special Envoy for Food Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

For some years now, reports by United Nations agencies have highlighted worrying data on the issue of food security. With the war in Ukraine, the problem is getting even worse: in more and more countries, the food security of an increasing number of people is at risk. The ongoing conflicts, the effects of climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in the fact that between 2018 and 2021 the number of people in a food crisis, emergency or famine situation has almost doubled (2022 Global Report on Food Crises). In 2021, 193 million people worldwide were in a food crisis, emergency or famine condition. The recent war in Ukraine is having dramatic consequences both for the local population, who is forced to flee towards other Ukrainian cities or other countries, and for the global food crisis, which is growing dramatically. The duration of this conflict and the time needed to reach the hoped-for peace agreements will have a major impact on the food exports that are essential for the sustainability of many countries: entire population segments risk to face food insecurity. What strategies can be implemented in order to deal with such a complex problem, whose scope is growing every day? Where could it be possible to start from? The answer may seem obvious, but it is not, at all: from putting the person at the centre.