Khalid bin Hamoud Alkahtani
COLOMBO : The World Food Day, which falls on October 16th each year, is an important occasion to renew the international commitment to combating hunger, achieving food security, and promoting sustainable development around the world. This occasion represents an opportunity to emphasize that food is not just a daily necessity, but also a fundamental human right and a pillar of societal stability and economic and social growth.
Achieving food security is one of the main pillars of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and a priority of its development and humanitarian policy, both domestically and internationally. In recent years, the Kingdom has invested in food security and sustainable agriculture projects, aiming to increase water efficiency in agriculture by 50 percent by 2030, promote the use of smart technologies and precision agriculture to increase local production, ensure the availability of food commodities, and stabilize supply chains.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also launched the National Food Security Strategy, which aims to achieve self-sufficiency in a number of basic agricultural commodities and support agricultural investments abroad to secure diverse and sustainable sources of food supplies.
Internationally, the Kingdom is one of the world’s largest donors of humanitarian and development aid, with contributions exceeding $130 billion, a large portion of which has been allocated to food security and nutrition programs around the world through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief). The Center, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has implemented joint programs to support farmers, improve agricultural production in developing countries, and enhance food security in areas affected by conflict and disasters.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes that food security is closely linked to environmental and water security. Therefore, it has launched major initiatives such as the “Saudi Green Initiative,” which aims to plant more than 10 billion trees in the Kingdom, and the “Middle East Green Initiative,” which aims to plant 50 billion trees in the region. These initiatives contribute to combating desertification, protecting ecosystems, improving soil quality, and reducing carbon emissions, thus enhancing global food sustainability. On this occasion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s close cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization and its international partners is aimed at building a more just, sustainable, and resilient global food system. Eradicating hunger is a collective responsibility that requires coordinated efforts and integrated wills. Food is the foundation of human dignity, and investing in it is an investment in the future of all humanity.
As His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has emphasized, true development can only be achieved when peoples’ efforts are integrated for a prosperous and secure future for all humanity. This is a vision embodied today by the Kingdom through its practical and humanitarian commitment to building a more equitable, stable, and nourished world. ( By: His Excellency Khalid bin Hamoud Alkahtani, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Sri Lanka)
