“Access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food is not a privilege but a right for all. It is our shared responsibility to bequeath a more just, habitable, and peaceful world to our children,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan said: “Our national roadmap addresses a wide range of issues, including ensuring everyone's access to nutritious, sufficient, and safe food at affordable prices, reducing food loss and waste, ensuring sustainability in the agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture sectors, and ensuring food security in the face of emergencies and crises.”

Emphasizing that as the world population grew, the global demand for food rose inevitably, Erdoğan said that the effects of climate change such as more extreme and devastating climate disasters, water scarcity, and drought, all had a negative impact on food sources as well.

Underlining that the cost of food systems has increased, impeding access to food sources, and, as a result compromising food security and paving the way for mass migration, which is one of the most critical challenges of our day, Erdoğan noted:

“The coronavirus pandemic, on the other hand, exacerbated the system's burden and the risk of losing the achievements made with considerable difficulties. Keeping this in mind, as Turkey, we took the necessary actions before the pandemic, in 2019. We hosted our 3rd Agriculture and Forest Council the same year with 21 working groups covering all aspects of sustainable food systems. We accelerated the consultations across our country by promoting our Water Forum.  Building the digital value chain from seed to fork, establishing the infrastructure for food loss and waste, and enacting the water law are among the 46 main actions and 324 sub-actions to be implemented before the end of 2023. Our national roadmap addresses a wide range of issues, including ensuring everyone's access to nutritious, sufficient, and safe food at affordable prices, reducing food loss and waste, ensuring sustainability in the agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture sectors, and ensuring food security in the face of emergencies and crises.”

Erdoğan indicated that they intended to combat climate change and drought, reduce water pollution, use renewable energy resources, and expand electronic commerce practices as part of their roadmap.

Pointing out that they were also working on biodiversity protection and environmentally compatible production, as well as driving digital transformation and offering decent job opportunities for women and youth in the agriculture and food sectors, Erdoğan noted:

“In collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, we are attempting to reduce food waste through the "Save Your Food" initiative. Access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food is not a privilege but a right for all. It is our shared responsibility to bequeath a more just, habitable, and peaceful world to our children. We, as Turkey, will resolutely continue to work in this direction. I wish for a successful summit and greet you with respect.” (ILKHA)