FAO Urges Commitment to Food Rights on World Food Day

The Regional Office of FAO for Latin America and the Caribbean issued a call to governments and organizations to commit to ensuring the right to food across the region during World Food Day. The celebration, observed on Oct. 16, was established by the United Nations in recognition of FAO’s founding in 1945. 

Mario Lubetkin, Deputy Director General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO, highlighted the organization’s ongoing mission. “We must promote healthy, nutritious, and affordable diets. It is not enough to simply produce more food; we must ensure it is nutritious, diverse, and accessible to everyone. The right to food is not just an aspiration but a commitment that governments and organizations like FAO must make a reality,” he said.

María José Torres Macho, Resident Coordinator in Chile, UN, underscored the deeper meaning of the day, noting the close connection between food security and global peace. "World Food Day is also FAO's birthday, one of the first agencies created within the UN system. This shows the immediate link that was made between peace and food security. We have 700 million reasons to work toward Zero Hunger, including 41 million people in Latin America," she noted.

Eulalio Ramírez, Vice Minister of Agriculture, Dominican Republic, emphasized the need to raise awareness about the critical role food plays in human life and the importance of transforming agrifood systems. Meanwhile, Carolina Marzán, President of the Chilean chapter of the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger and Malnutrition, stressed the importance of on-the-ground efforts to promote the consumption of nutritious, diverse, and healthy foods, especially among children and the elderly.