By ‘Wale Olaogun
The International Youth Day, 2021 was held virtually on 12 August, 2021. The programme which was convened by DESA, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United States and the Major Group for Children and Youth, aimed at providing a platform for young people from the ECOSOC Youth Forum (EYF) in the lead up to the high-level Food Systems Summit.
The International Youth Day, 2021 which has “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation For Human and Planetary Health” as its theme, stressed the importance of working towards more equitable food systems. In addition, the event highlighted the need for youth to make informed decisions on food choices through increasing global education on the healthiest and most sustainable options for both individuals and the environment.
There were also recommendations on providing adequate capacity development with respect to the resilience of food systems, in particular during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and in its aftermath.
It was also said that food systems include not only the basic elements of how we get food from farms to the table, but also all of the processes and infrastructure involved in feeding the population, and the negativities that can be generated during the process which include; desertification, ocean and air pollution.
It was acknowledged that there is a need for inclusive support mechanisms that ensure youth continue to amplify efforts collectively and individually to restore the planet and protect life, while integrating biodiversity in the transformation of food systems.
The event saw a number of stakeholders made the decision that producing a larger volume of healthier food more sustainably will not ensure human and planetary wellbeing since the world’s population is expected to witness a rapid increase with 2 billion in the next 30 years.
