Fiji joined the United Nations in marking the World Food Day on 16th October, 2020. Officials from the Office of the President and Ministry of Foreign Affairs connected virtually with Rome, Italy to represent Fiji at this important event in the United Nations calendar.

Fiji’s participation is especially significant with the selection of President of the Republic of Fiji, His Excellency Major-General (Ret’d) Jioji Konrote as the Eminent Champion of the Food System Summit that will be convened by the UN Secretary General Mr. António Guterres in October next year.

In conveying Fiji’s statement on this occasion, President Konrote reaffirmed Fiji’s commitment to food security whilst addressing the challenges of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD).

“The campaign for healthy eating in Fiji is close to my heart –– and for good reason. Cardiovascular disease and other Non-Communicable Diseases in Fiji and across our region are the most serious health challenge of our generation. So I’m grateful for the chance to continue that advocacy as part of this 24-Hour Global Relay Conversation with Key Stakeholders of The UN Food System Summit.”

President Konrote spoke on the importance of a regional and global approach in advancing the goals on sustainable food security and health development.

“The COVID-19 Crisis has showed us how important local food supply chains can be. With supply chains under strain, we have seen vulnerabilities in the global food supply system.

“We can address those vulnerabilities by strengthening sustainable food systems at home. In Fiji’s case, that is absolutely critical to combatting the scourge of Non-Communicable Diseases.

“Fiji and other Pacific Island countries share a great deal in common, we can learn from each other’s experiences, and that process of cooperative knowledge-sharing must be strengthened through a whole-of-region approach to this crisis. I see promise in moving forward with the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ recognition of the NCDs crisis in our region,” President Konrote stated.

Fiji’s Head of State commended the initiative on “Pacific Island Food Revolution”.

“And that “revolution-solution” is, quite literally, in our backyards. Pacific Islanders should start buying local vegetables and fruits from our local farmers, or growing it themselves where they can. We must get back to our roots of healthy, local-grown and prepared food, but we must also re-imagine these staples of our diets, creating good-tasting, affordable, nutritious options that lead to better diets and flatten the curve of NCDs in the Pacific.

“Of course, there is no issue in the Pacific that can be solved without full consideration given to the impacts of climate change. In Fiji, disaster risk reduction and mitigation measures are a key part of our efforts to build food systems which are not only robust, but resilient. Some of the resilience will come from increasing the scale of regional food production. I look forward to a future where healthy locally-produced food from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu are available in markets and on supermarket shelves across our region.

“Here in Fiji, local food businesses are responding to new demand for healthier eating options. Many Fijians are returning to their land to ride out the COVID-19 crisis, growing their own food,” President Konrote said.

He said whilst Fiji is achieving a wider recognition of the importance of healthy eating, throughout government, the private sector, civil society, and in Fijian communities, there is a tremendous amount of work left to be done.

“And I look forward to sharing our progress next October at the World Food System Summit.”