The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) organized a first-of-its-kind gala dinner on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at the World Government Summit 2017, where guests opted to break with convention to send out a powerful message in favor of judicious food consumption and against food wastage.
The dinner was hosted in honor of the dignitaries attending the Forum for Climate Change and Food Security, one of the three forums being held at the World Government Summit 2017, underway in Dubai from February 12 to 14.
Guests consciously participated in the meal that was sourced entirely from surplus food. In doing so, the guests also demonstrated support for the Food Bank initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in January 2017.
Highlighting the unique nature of the event, His Excellency Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The ministry deeply appreciates the wholehearted support of its guests in sending out this impactful message that breaks with convention and visibly demonstrates their support for governments’ commitment to reverse trends of food waste.”
Quoting data published by the World Bank, Dr Al Zeyoudi said that the food security is an immense challenge looming large for world governments, as they will need to plan to produce at least 50% more food to feed a projected nine billion people by 2050. He added that climate change could cut crop yields by more than 25%, making their objective even harder to achieve. Other challenges in the mix include depletion of land, biodiversity, oceans, forests, and different forms of natural capital at unprecedented rates.
"For governments to answer this composite challenge, they must foster social behavior where responsible food consumption is the norm. This will go some way in saving the 1.3 billion tons of food that are being wasted every year, which represents a staggering 30% of the world's food produce.”
He added: "In the UAE alone, food worth AED13 billion is wasted annually. Food security is a global issue from which none of us can sidestep any longer. Our visionary leadership is urging the entire country to avoid extravagance of food and drink during festive celebrations. As a country and a people, we need to raise awareness about our collective and personal role as we contribute to global efforts to reduce food wastage.”
The UAE Food Bank was launched in January 2017 as part of the UAE’s Year of Giving initiative in 2017. Dubai is aiming to become the first city in the region to achieve zero food waste.
As a key component of the World Government Summit 2017, the Forum for Climate Change and Food Security will highlight the UAE's pioneering contributions to the global drive to develop a framework that limits the repercussions of climate change and its implications for food security. The forum will review emerging challenges in this regard and identify effective solutions to build a secure global food system.
The forum has been segmented into three sessions.
In the first session, ‘Climate in Action: The Future of Food’, participants will discuss the effects of climate change and its effects on food production and consumption. They will also examine ways to maintain the continuity of food resources, which require governments to significantly amend policies. World leaders will highlight current and potential impacts, as well as the steps that must be implemented to achieve future goals.
The second session, ‘The Future of Food’, will examine population growth, food customs and serious climate change-related challenges to the food supply. The session will cover the effects of these factors, their impact on human life, and ways to prepare countries and local communities.
The final session, ‘Availability of food and food waste reduction’, will underscore the volume of waste as one of the biggest challenges today, in addition to the unequal distribution of food around the world. The forum will emphasize the need to adopt healthy practices for the distribution and consumption of food in direct support of the UAE’s ‘Year of Giving’ initiative. It will also highlight proven solutions and actions to reduce rates of food waste in developed countries.
The World Government Summit (WGS) 2017 has drawn the participation of more than 4,000 personalities from 139 countries around the world, reflecting the leading stature of the summit on regional and international levels and the high interest from governments, global organizations, private and public sector entities, decision makers, entrepreneurs, academics and university students as well as scientists and innovators. WGS 2017 features 150 speakers across 114 sessions that highlight the world’s most pressing challenges and showcase best practices and cutting-edge solutions to deal with them.