First virtual Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference - 76 ministers adopt final communiqué

Berlin World Food Conference: Governments agree on communiqué on forward-looking agriculture

The 13th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) saw seventy-six agriculture ministers adopt an ambitious final communiqué.

The coronavirus is making the fight against hunger more difficult - it is estimated that the pandemic has resulted in 130 million more people suffering from hunger. "The coronavirus teaches us at the same time what levers we need to use to fight hunger. On the one hand, supply chains must function in order to make food available and to keep prices stable and affordable. High prices must not be paid for with people’s starvation," said Federal Minister Julia Klöckner.

On 22 January 2021, Federal Minister Klöckner welcomed 76 fellow agriculture ministers from across the globe to the Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, which is hosted by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) during the during the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture. UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a video message in which he emphasised that efforts must be intensified in order to accomplish the “zero hunger” agenda by 2030. Guterres said in his message, "Our agriculture should enable everyone to have access to a healthy diet and appropriate employment opportunities and at the same time to minimise waste.”

A joint communiqué was adopted and presented to:

• Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Dr Agnes Kalibata, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit
• Dr Monique Eloit, Director-General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)

The communiqué can be downloaded here.

Final communiqué sets ambitious goals

In the final communiqué, the Agriculture Ministers’ Conference agreed inter alia on the following objectives:

• doubling down on efforts to achieve the “Zero Hunger” Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda in spite of COVID-19.
• Maintaining food production and keeping markets open and supply chains operational during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Promoting the “One Health" approach, strengthening animal health, establishing resilient animal health systems and improving health management for wildlife species in order to prevent future pandemics.
• Improving soil carbon sequestration, combating further deforestation and reducing food losses and waste in order to contribute to climate change mitigation.
• Supporting climate negotiations in the field of agriculture and in particular strengthening the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture.
• Assisting the agricultural sector in adapting to climate change by implementing measures in the areas of water, biodiversity, breeding, and animal husbandry.
• Supporting integrated, sustainable and resilient food systems, thereby contributing to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.

GreCross-border cooperation

The Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference is regarded as the political highlight of the GFFA. Thousands of high-level representatives from politics, industry and civil society gathered virtually for the first time over the five days of the GFFA. At this international conference, they exchanged their views on key issues regarding the future of the global agri-food industry. Mr. Feiler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, opened the conference on 18 January.

Under the title “How to Feed the World in Times of Pandemics and Climate Change”, the specialist events at the GFFA dealt with global food security and implementing the human right to adequate food despite pandemics and climate change.

The world’s leading conference

The GFFA is the world's leading international conference on key issues regarding the future of the global agri-food industry. The GFFA focuses on the issue of food security and has taken place annually at the beginning of the International Green Week in Berlin since 2009. The political highlight is the Agriculture Ministers' Conference which is attended by around 70 ministers. The Forum is organised and hosted by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in cooperation with the Berlin Senate, Messe Berlin GmbH and the GFFA Berlin e.V..