Sisi to UN summit: Egypt joins global School Meals Coalition for better health

24 / 09 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said Egypt has joined the global “School Meals Coalition” to ensure better health for students in accordance with the sustainable development goal (SDG 3) on Good Health and Well-Being.

Egypt joined the coalition due to its belief in the importance of providing healthy food for female and male students, he said, adding that international partnerships contribute to achieving this goal.

“Egypt has hence become one of the top countries that have moved forward in implementing this program in the region,” he said in his speech which he delivered at the United Nations Food Systems Summit on Thursday.

During the summit, Sisi expressed his “sincere thanks to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his initiative to call for this important summit and his keenness to hold it as scheduled virtually without delay despite all the COVID-19 related difficulties and challenges we grapple with daily.”

“Today’s summit comes at a delicate and pivotal moment for our world; thus, we need to exert more efforts to address the complex challenges we have to face,” the president said.

“You might agree that the creation of sustainable food systems that achieve food security for our societies is a top-priority issue for us all, particularly amid the exacerbation of climate change as well as the resulting rise in temperatures and water scarcity.”

“This is in addition to climate change-induced soil degradation and desertification of significant areas of agricultural land and the resulting economic, social and food security consequences as well as the complex political situation,” the president added.

“Consequently, many world regions, particularly Africa, are grappling with the threat of famine. Thus, quick and effective solutions are needed to save millions of people — the vast majority of which are women and children — from this existential threat that limits the ability of countries and governments to fully implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.

“Egypt has hence realized early that this summit represents a favorable opportunity for coming up with ideas and solutions to these challenges. It can also play a role in promoting international cooperation and mobilizing the necessary funds,” Sisi said.

“Accordingly, Egypt has stepped up efforts to play its role, both nationally and regionally, in the preparatory process for the summit.”

“At the national level, Egypt has started a comprehensive national dialogue since December 2020, a dialogue that includes all concerned government institutions, representatives of the private sector, and civil society organizations. As a result, they agreed to adopt a national document to transform into a healthy and sustainable food system,” the president expounded.

“At the regional level, Egypt has engaged in formulating a unified African position that reflects the priorities of the peoples of the continent and the particularities of their food security challenges during the summit,” he further explained.

“We intend to continue working with our African brothers to face these challenges, in an effort to expedite the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063,” the president stressed.