The Foreign Minister, who was speaking at the opening of the III plenary meeting of the Food and Nutrition Security Council (Cosan CPLP), said that the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of the agriculture sector, especially in terms of demand and supply routes, as they are linked to coronavirus outbreaks.
"Therefore, today, more than ever, a greater political concertation and the operationalization of a common program are needed, to ensure food security and sustainable agro-food systems, in essence a more significant role in combating hunger, diet-related diseases, and climate change," said Téte António.
According to the governor, dialogue is the starting point for effective coordination, expressing satisfaction for the holding of the World Summit on Food Systems, convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, scheduled for September 12, a forum that is an opportunity to affirm the CPLP group.
"In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Angola and the FAO launched the National Dialogue on Food Systems on July 6, to propose solutions at the national, regional and global levels," he said.
The minister highlighted the importance of mobility, "one of the main factors to create conditions that facilitate the movement of people and goods and encourage agricultural investment, so particular attention will also be given to this issue during the 'pro tempore' presidency of the CPLP," he said.
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cape Verde, Gilberto Silva, in his intervention at the meeting, regretted that the advances made have been compromised by the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, with regard to the livelihoods of families.
"It compromised the mobilization of resources for the implementation of the activities scheduled during the II ordinary meeting of Cosan CPLP held on Sal Island, Cape Verde," he stressed.
The director general of the CPLP, Armindo de Brito Fernandes, underlined that the new context imposed by the covid-19 pandemic "has exposed the enormous vulnerabilities already existing and aggravate social inequalities, making evident the strong relationship between environmental degradation, food and human health, as well as between these, justice and equity and the prosperity of nations.
Brito Fernandes highlighted the participation of the Lusophone organization in the September summit promoted by the United Nations in New York, stressing that the CPLP has successful experiences in matters of food systems to share to the global sphere, particularly in the inclusive, multi-actor and multi-level governance system it has created.
"The CPLP is proud of the achievements made since the approval of the ESAN [Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition] CPLP, but we should all be aware of the long road we still have to travel for the full realization of the human right to food for our member states," he stressed.
