G7 foreign and development ministers meeting spotlights CGIAR

G7 foreign and development ministers named CGIAR as an example of a multilateral research institution critical to making food systems resilient and stable and transforming food systems.

Under the famine prevention, humanitarian crises and food insecurity minutes of the official meeting communique, G7 ministers called for global enhancement of adaption efforts and committed to leveraging the power of national and multinational research institutions, such as CGIAR, who are working to generate knowledge and strengthening partnerships to accelerate the pace and scale of innovation needed for food systems transformation.

“We commit to leveraging the power of national and multilateral research institutions, such as the One CGIAR … This is critical to generate knowledge, strengthen innovation systems, and ensure partnerships accelerate the pace and scale of innovation required to make food systems resilient and stable, and transform food systems to adapt to a changing climate while delivering nutritious, affordable food to growing populations in an inclusive way as well as protecting water and land resources,” noted the communique.

The communique also expressed a commitment to “mobilizing the global research system to help the world recover from COVID-19 and addressing the climate change impacts on and of food systems.” CGIAR’s COVID-19 Hub harnesses resources from the System’s researchers, funders, and key stakeholders to support national response and recovery work across CGIAR research themes through the response, recovery, and resilience-building phases of the global pandemic. Two-thirds of CGIAR’s work is already relevant to COVID-19 response. The Hub draws relevant results from across the System and makes them available to key agriculture sector decision-makers and stakeholders to maximize update and impact in countries the most vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic.

The United Kingdom hosted the first in-person meeting of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years on May 3 to 5 in London. Representatives from the G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union – attended the meeting with guests from India, Australia, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In addition to food security, the meeting also covered aspects of girls’ education, climate finance and global vaccine access.

Photo by C. de Bode/CGIAR.