The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has in a letter addressed to President Julius Maada Bio dated 26 May 2023 disclosed that projections are that nearly 670 million people will be facing hunger in 2030. The letter of invite which called of President Bio to join world leaders for the ongoing UN Food System 2023 Stocktaking, in Rome Italy, informs that eight per cent of the world population, which is at the same level as in 2015, when the 2030 Agenda was adopted.

As a result, UN Secretary General honourably invites President Bio to the continuing first UN Food System 2023 Stocktaking moment, at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 24-26 July, this year.

The invite encouraged nations to submit, on a voluntary basis, a national progress report on food systems transformations, using the template provided by the United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub. According to UN-SG Guterres, contributions from member nations will help accelerate global learning on solutions that work and enduring challenges and bottlenecks and enrich preparations for the 2023 Stocktaking Moment which he disclosed will also inform priorities in the next biennium.

The meeting will bring together Heads of State and Governments, ministers of agriculture, environment, health, planning, finance and all relevant stakeholders among others to take a critical look at the progress achieved on the commitments to action and acceleration that were taken two years ago, the letter invite states.

“Yet, in the face of such a sobering outlook, I am today more convinced than ever, that healthier, more sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems that respect the planet, can help us to recover lost ground and resolutely advance the 17th Sustainable Development Goals”, Guterres noted.

UN scribe extended gratefulness to the Government of the Republic of Italy for its leadership in hosting the first Stocktaking Moment in partnership with the Rome based agencies, United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub and the wider United Nation System.

He continued that ahead of the SDGs, Summit in September, marking the midpoint of implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the 2023 Stocktaking Moment will also provide a unique opportunity to highlight the role of food systems transformations as a critical SDGs accelerator.

The letter encouraged national and sub-national stocktaking exercises that could take the form of inclusive, multi sectorial, multi stakeholder national dialogues on sustainable food system like the 624 Members State dialogue countries organized ahead of the 2021 Summit.

Since then, the world has had to endure more crises which he noted have further tested the resilience of societies already battered by the Covid -19 pandemic, the triple planetary crisis of Climate Change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and the most recently by an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the letter noted.

On arrival at the event venue in Rome, Italy, President shared a twit saying; “I welcome @UN and Secretary-General @antonioguterres’s full solidarity and total support for my government’s new five-year mandate to accelerate sustainable development and social progress to improve the quality of lives of Sierra Leoneans. #SierraLeone remains unequivocally committed to the UN SDGs to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peaceful and prosperous societies as demonstrated in the past five years of my administration. In particular, we will continue to champion the global goals of #SDG4 on education and #SDG10 on reducing inequality within and among countries. I look forward to strengthening our mutual interests and areas of collaboration including the UN #SecurityCouncil, human capital development, #agriculture productivity, food security and sovereignty, school feeding initiatives, long-term financing, debt restructuring and relief, and building inclusive and resilient economies.