Addis Ababa, July 29, 2025 (FMC) — President of Ethiopia Taye Atske Selassie has reaffirmed Ethiopia’s strong commitment to multilateral cooperation and food systems transformation, as the United Nations Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) concluded in Addis Ababa.
Delivering the closing remarks at the high-level closing ceremony of the summit, President Taye emphasized that the two-day global gathering concluded with “renewed aspiration and a heightened determination” to meet the targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
“We came here to take stock, and we advance with a mandate for action,” the President said, calling the moment both a reflection point and a moral imperative for bold commitments to end hunger and build resilient food systems.
Highlighting the complex global context, President Taye pointed out that progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is regressing by nearly 20 percent in many regions. He urged stakeholders to confront “the hardest and yet the most valid questions”: why over two billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet and why hunger persists despite global abundance.
The President praised the summit for spotlighting real opportunities and delivering practical tools for scaling up solutions. He noted that over 130 countries have already defined national food systems pathways and urged investors to help meet at least one-third of the \$400 trillion needed globally for food system transformation.
“Fifteen investment-ready, bankable models are now on the table,” he said, calling on agribusinesses to adopt community-based approaches that ensure equitable gains across food value chains.
He also underscored the vital role of civil society in public mobilization, policy accountability, and amplifying the voices of women, youth, and indigenous communities. “The future of humanity depends on the capability of our youth to take over the agro-economy and apply technology to improve productivity,” he said.
Calling the food systems agenda “a call for dignity, fairness, and concern,” President Taye expressed gratitude to the United Nations system, particularly UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, for advancing the global development and food agenda. “Ethiopia has always been—and will remain—committed more than ever to this effort,” he concluded.
The high-level closing ceremony was co-chaired by President Taye Atske Selassie, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, and Italy’s Special Envoy for Food Security Stefano Gatti.