WORLD FOOD DAY 2024 Junior World Food Day School Assembly Opening Remarks
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
17/10/2024
Dear Young Children, Colleagues and all the friends online,
It is a great honour for me, as every year, to have the chance to talk with you. You are the real atmosphere changers here at headquarters. You are our real hope to change the FAO network as a big family.
I always remember when I was your age, even a little bit older, the great leader Chairman Mao from my home province, said that the world belongs to you, belongs to us, but ultimately, finally belongs to you because you are like the sunrise at 8-9 am in the east.
The hope is yours. Now I have finally reached the senior age, but I am still young at heart.
It is a pleasure to see so many young people at FAO headquarters!
Today’s event is dedicated to you because you are the future game-changers.
Thank you for being here and joining us online and thank you for sharing your energy, your smile, your real faces, with which you face the world, even if the world is not as pleasant as you expected. But we will try our best to create and protect peace and food security for you all.
Today is also an exciting moment and opportunity for you to get to know what FAO does, and how we can work together to ensure the “Right to Foods for Everyone”, especially for each child, which is what the first ever FAO Director-General asked.
After almost 80 years, we still cannot guarantee 100 percent access to good food for all children, even to have a good breakfast.
As for me, I still have a problem with drinking milk, because I did not have the chance to drink milk when I was a child. Even when I was 20 years old.
So, you are lucky, you are living in Italy. But please remember your classmates, those not in Italy, far away in the developing countries, that still do not have sufficient access to milk, eggs, chicken, meat every day. Maybe once a week, once a month, or even maybe once a year.
So that is why you have more access to the necessary nutrition, and you should be guided by your teacher, by your family, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, to establish a green lifestyle. Do not eat too much. Do not drink too much. Because in this world, you have to be careful. If you start at an early stage drinking too much, eating too much, it is not good for the environment, not good for your health. So, that is my advice to young kids. You need enough nutritious food, for sure, as it is accessible and affordable.
First of all, you should know that FAO works with almost every country in the world, 194 Members in total. And second, you have to know FAO’s business. Here, you are sitting in the seats that used to be occupied by ministers, scientists, even leaders - sitting in the same seats you are seating in now. You have a special privilege to be sitting here at this early age, but you have not only sat in their seats now, but you have also taken the responsibility and the passion to carry on for the future when you grow up.
When you have a good education, when you prepare yourself with your experience to work for other people.
The third message I should tell you is to follow the rules and be disciplined because the world is complicated. Once you follow the rules, the discipline and the consensus, you can build a shared future together. No matter if you meet or not with children from other parts of the world, children who will come to Rome will meet you in the future.
Lastly, this event is an annual event. I really appreciate all the organizers: from my colleagues, Máximo Torero; and Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol and, Deputy Director-General Maurizio Martina and others.
I would also like to say a very special thanks to the university and the high school, primary school teachers and leaders.
I also appreciate all the governments of our Members who support this event and, more specifically, to the city of Rome. With your support, FAO will have enough clean water and access to cheap and good food for our staff, and for our guests. With your support, we also now have modern facilities. So, thanks to the host country and thanks to the host city.
I really hope that when I finally end my speech in a few seconds you will unleash your noise, happy noise, happy day, happy hours!
Thank you.