"Today, on World Food Day, we celebrate the right to food as a fundamental part of a better life and a brighter future. Slow Food reaffirms its belief that food can be a bridge to peace, advocating for a world where access to food and the resources required to produce it are guaranteed for everyone, especially those living in conflict zones.

We call for an immediate end to all violence in ongoing conflicts, including in the Gaza Strip, Sudan, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Yemen. We strongly oppose the use of food as a weapon of war and urge immediate negotiations to achieve just, dignified solutions that foster peace and respect for all people.

We are witnessing the daily consequences of the climate crisis: glaciers are melting, rivers are drying up, extreme heat waves are intensifying, and violent floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes are becoming more frequent. Rising sea levels threaten the survival of fishing communities, and ocean acidification is creating hostile conditions for marine life. Biodiversity loss and unchecked desertification are increasing at an alarming rate. Too often, communities lose the freedom to use their traditional seeds due to the scientific appropriation of indigenous seeds, breeds, and planting materials by agribusiness corporations.

However, within the Slow Food network, we see how adopting agroecological practices can make a real difference. From Slow Food Gardens in Africa to the heart of Brazil, where the Sateré-Mawé people were awarded the United Earth Amazonia Award last year for their efforts to ensure food sovereignty and protect their cultural and physical survival in an 8,000-square-kilometer region, these actions offer hope.

In this spirit, Slow Food has signed the Peoples' Manifesto on the Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition, which calls for urgent political action to end starvation as a weapon of war, address food insecurity, combat inequality, and transform global food systems. The Manifesto urges a shift towards food sovereignty, agroecology, and the protection of shared natural resources. It also emphasizes the need for greater social participation and accountability in global decision-making to ensure the right to adequate food and nutrition for all."

Edward Mukiibi, Slow Food President