Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2025

Youth-led World Food Forum kicks off

Youth-led World Food Forum kicks off

The first World Food Forum, a youth-led event aimed at harnessing the energy and creativity of young people, and featuring speeches from heads of state and senior UN officials, opened on Friday.
Streaming virtually from Rome, the goal of the five-day event is to transform food and agriculture and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 2 "No hunger".

Pope Francis joined young farmers, singers, innovators at the opening session.

“Look into the eyes of the youth that are asking for change. And listen”, said the Pontiff. “Listen to their concerns and be inspired by their vision, because our present will define their future.”

Costa Rica President, Carlos Alvarado Quesada; Queen Letizia of Spain, an FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition; and President of UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid also addressed the Forum.

FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu, said he and other leaders were present “to listen to young voices and to empower the younger generation to be co-creators of the better food future that they deserve."

Producer, singer, songwriter, entertainer and entrepreneur AY Young performed during the opening ceremony.

In the coming days, the Forum will feature youth leaders from the world of farming and beyond, who will be joined by influencers, celebrities, business and civil society leaders.

Performances and demonstrations by Nigerian singer and songwriter Brymo, German musician Keye Katcher, vegan model and influencer Natalie Prabha, chef and writer Carla Lalli Music, Poet Meera Dasgupta and others are included in the programme.

The Forum is using innovative ways to discover and scale up young people's most promising ideas.

The Transformative Research Challenge, for example, provides young researchers with mentors and publicizes their work to help translate their ideas into research papers, grant proposals and policy suggestions.Other example is the Startup Innovation Awards, which connects entrepreneurs with leaders in the investment, technology and policy communities. The Awards Masterclasses will provide lessons in subjects such as The Success Mindset, Food Systems and Nutrition Education, and Blockchain.

During the event, the winners of International Innovation Award for Sustainable Food Systems, which recognize excellence in digitization and innovation and innovation that specifically empowers youth in these systems, will be announced.

The event is the first major follow-up to the United Nations Food Systems Summit, which happened in New York last week.

The world currently produces enough food to feed everyone living, but last year more than 810 million people went hungry. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the number is growing. An increase in threats like pests, plagues, conflict, and climate change is also worsening the global food crisis.

The World Food Forum is empowered by the Youth Committee of FAO. It was created as an independent network of partners tasked with forging a global movement to restore agri-food systems.

"The future belongs to youth, and they have the fresh perspectives, forward-thinking mindsets and digital fluency to incite widespread and sustainable change. They also have the numbers to get things done," Qu Dongyu said ahead of the event.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
×