Chairman of the Commission for Foreign and Trade Policy, Customs, Transport and Communications of the House of Peoples of the PA BiH Safet Softić participated in the preparatory meeting for the Third Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition in Rome

Delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PA BiH) and chairman of the Committee for Foreign and Trade Policy, Customs, Transport and Communications of the House of Peoples PA BiH Safet Softić participated in the preparatory meeting for the Third Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition, which was held yesterday and today at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.

The objectives of the preparatory meeting, jointly organized by FAO and the Parliament of the Republic of Italy, are to identify developments, progress, challenges and thematic priorities for shaping the agenda and debates for the Third Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition, which will be held in 2026 in the Republic of South Africa.

The participants of the preparatory meeting warned of the fact that hunger in the world is still a huge problem, although it has decreased from 8.7% in 2023 to 8.2% of the world's population in 2024. As stated, about 2.3 billion people do not have adequate nutrition, while 670 million are in a state of chronic hunger. Also, about 2.6 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, and from 2021 the rise in food prices will become the main challenge in food security, it was emphasized at the meeting, where conflicts, climate change and economic crises were singled out as other key challenges.

During the two-day meeting in Rome, the possibilities facing the parliamentarians when it comes to the fight against hunger were emphasized. It was said that the legislative role entails proposing and adopting laws that promote sustainable agriculture, food security, the right to land, smart climate-oriented policies, as well as equal access to food. It was also emphasized that the role of parliaments in promoting and supporting reforms is in line with global goals, such as eradicating hunger and the right to adequate nutrition.

The need for parliaments to fulfill their supervisory function, which means monitoring the implementation of adopted policies and pointing to the executive power's responsibility, was also underlined. In this connection, there was also talk about the budgetary role of parliaments, which would be reflected in the adequate allocation of resources for agriculture, food security, food availability for all, for investment in research, development and innovation, rural development, and infrastructure development. It was said at the meeting that parliamentarians also play a special role in their work in parliamentary bodies, through detailed consideration of topics from agriculture, making recommendations, and initiating policy changes.

The participants of the meeting visited the Senate of the Republic of Italy, where the meeting between the delegate Softić and the vice-president of the Italian Senate Gian Marco Centinaio took place. During this visit, the participants of the meeting had the opportunity to talk with the members of the Agriculture Committee of both houses of the Italian Parliament, who presented to them the activities of the Committee and of both houses of the Italian Parliament in relation to food production and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

In addition to parliamentarians from Europe and Central Asia, the preparatory meeting in Rome was attended by representatives of certain regional and international parliamentary institutions, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, the Pan-African Parliament, the Union of Latin American Parliaments, representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and others. (end)