WORLD FOOD DAY:

“CHANGE THE FUTURE OF MIGRATION. INVEST IN FOOD SECURITY
AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT.”

World Food Day (WFD) is a day of action dedicated to tackling global
hunger. It is celebrated on the 16th of October. The day is observed every
year around the world in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It is also the
Food Engineer day and has been observed in more than 150 countries,
raising awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.

The theme for this year is “Change the future of migration. Invest in food
security and rural development”. The world is on the move. More people
have been forced to flee their homes than at any time due to increased
conflict and political instability. But hunger, poverty, and an increase
in extreme weather events linked to climate change are other important
factors contributing to the migration challenge.

Large movements of people today are presenting complex challenges, which
call for global action. Many migrants arrive in developing countries,
creating tensions where resources are already scarce, but the majority,
about 763 million, move within their own countries rather than abroad.
Three-quarters of the extreme poor base their livelihoods on agriculture
or other rural activities. Creating conditions that allow rural people,
especially youth, to stay at home when they feel it is safe to do so, and
to have more resilient livelihoods, is a crucial component of any plan to
tackle the migration challenge.

At the World Assembly of Youth (WAY), we highlight areas needed for action
and contribute in the recommendation for the eradication of Hunger and
Poverty in accordance with the common focus stipulated by the United
Nations. We believe rural development can address factors that compel
people to move by creating business opportunities and jobs for young
people that are not only crop-based (such as small dairy or poultry
production, food processing or horticulture enterprises). It can also lead
to increased food security, more resilient livelihoods, better access to
social protection, and reduced conflict over natural resources and
solutions to environmental degradation and climate change.

By investing in rural development, the international community can also
harness migration’s potential to support development and build the
resilience of displaced and host communities, thereby laying the ground
for long-term recovery and inclusive and sustainable growth.
Happy World Food Day!