7 November 2022
AEBR participated in the IV World Summit of Regions “Zero Hunger” on Food Security and Sovereignty, organised by ORU FOGAR, the Regional Government of Araucanía and ANCORE (the National Association of Regional Councillors) in Temuco (Chile) on 27-28 October.
A preparatory seminar for the summit, “The Coming Hunger”, took place in Lima, Peru, on 25 October, hosted by the Andean Regional Association (Mancomunidad), composed of various Peruvian regional governments.
AEBR Secretary General, Martin Guillermo-Ramírez, participated in both events. During his intervention at the round table “Prosperity in rural areas”, he presented various European experiences and strategies contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals in cross-border regions. He also highlighted the situation in many rural areas, particularly in cross-border territories, where there is a continuous drain of younger citizens, resulting in the ageing and emptying of those territories. He also stressed the concept of territorial cohesion and the need to work together to achieve food security and healthcare for all citizens.
Regarding food security, AEBR acknowledges that hunger is a problem, particularly in certain regions of the world, that requires central and regional governments and actors of the international community to commit, mobilise and coordinate along a set of operational and strategic priorities. For this reason and as a member of ORU FOGAR’s Bureau, AEBR took an active role in both events. Plan Binacional Ecuador-Peru, one of AEBR’s main partners in South America, also participated. Representatives from both chapters presented various practices from the Andean border areas.
Both events demonstrated the commitment of regions to design and take collective action on interventions along the entire food supply chain, in the food environment and the political economy that shapes trade, public spending and investment policies. They have also served to reassess what has been achieved and identify those strategies that have been successful, to protect and support them, and to promote new policies only when necessary.
Read more on ORU-FOGAR’s website in EN, FR or ES
After various changes due to COVID regulations and other circumstances, including the unstable situation in Peru. The Zero Hunger Summit was previously organized to take place in Huancavelica (Peru). Still, the hosts and the Organization of United Regions-Forum of Global Association of Regions (ORU-FOGAR) decided to move it. Our Chilean partners took over, and ORU-FOGAR statutory events were split into a meeting of the Bureau in Lima (Peru) on 25 October, and the General Assembly in Temuco (Araucania, Chile) on 28 October. The new President of ORU-FOGAR, Rachid el Abdi, chaired these events. A big thank you to Secretary-General Carles Llorens, Treasurer Marcelo Carrasco (Araucanía) and their teams for a perfect organization.
