Dear colleagues, dear guests,
let me first of all thank the Presidency for the invitation to this important event, and for its leadership’s firm engagement – including with the Declaration we are adopting today – to an issue on which Italy has a long-standing commitment. As the United Nations recognized by choosing to host the headquarters of the UN food system agencies in Rome, and as demonstrated by the recent UN Food Systems Summit that was held in July in Rome. 
And it couldn’t be otherwise, for Italy’s food system is among the most advanced and renowned across the world. I am thinking, for example, about the principles of the Mediterranean Diet, that do not only belong to Italy and the Mediterranean; they belong to all the world. We are aware of how precious our know-how can be for others as well, so that food security for all is also one of the strategic priorities of our foreign policy. 
This is why a very substantial share of our Mattei Plan for Africa – which is a project based on collaboration on an equal footing with the African continent – is directed to the agricultural sector. But our aim is not to do charity, for my idea is that Africa doesn’t need charity, it needs something different, which is the possibility to compete on a level playing field. So, we need to help the continent prosper on its own resources, and Africa holds, among other things, 65% of the planet’s arable land, which – with adequate technology and adequate training – can ensure self-sufficient food production and economic growth. 

And I will say more. We are not only firmly engaged on food security, we want to be engaged on food safety. The challenge we have is not only to ensure food for all, it is to ensure healthy food for all. We don’t want to consider food production as fuel for survival, we want to consider it as a means to live healthy lives. 
The role of research is essential in this context, but – I want to state this clearly – not to produce food in laboratories, and perhaps move towards a world in which the rich are able to eat natural food while synthetic food is directed to the poor, with impacts on health that we cannot predict. This is not the world I want to see. 
The world I want to see is a world in which the bond that has united land and humankind, work and nutrition across millennia is preserved, and research is able to help optimize that bond. Ensuring disease-resistant crops resilient to climate change, but also devising ever more modern and innovative agricultural techniques, able to improve both quality and quantity of production and reduce negative externalities such as excessive water consumption. That is what we are engaged in.
Adequate resources must obviously be dedicated to the climate-food systems nexus. This is among the aims of the 4-billion-euro Italian Climate Fund, of which 70% will be directed towards the African countries.  
We are also contributing to the loss and damage fund with EUR 100 million to help achieve the goals of this COP28.
Finally, these challenges will also be at the heart of the Italian G7 Presidency next year, where we intend to foster innovative instruments, building on the achievements of COP28, starting with the important Declaration we sign today. Thank you.