In the opening part of the ministerial conference, the ministers were addressed by the German Federal Minister for Agriculture, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Commissioner for Agriculture, and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme.

The main discussion of the ministers was divided into four panels, where participants discussed key questions of the 2021 GFFA topic "How to Feed the World in Times of Pandemics and Climate Change?" The ministers addressed the following panel topics: responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, how to prevent future pandemics, climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.

Minister Jože Podgoršek took part in the panel focusing on the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his presentation, he drew attention, among other things, to the important role of the European Union, both in terms of the run-up to this year’s UN Food Systems Summit and the formulation of ambitious commitments for urgent change and the transition to sustainable food systems. This year’s United Nations Summit on Food Systems is an important priority for Slovenia, as it is one of the highest profile international events that will take place during Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

The Minister also participated in the GFFA with a short video address published on the forum digital platform. In his address, he touched upon the pressing global topics of climate change adaptation and mitigation, food security, and the urgency of transition to food systems that are sustainable, equitable and resilient, which is particularly important in light of new challenges of global food security, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.

After summarising individual panels and a discussion, the ministerial conference concluded with a jointly adopted communiqué. The GFFA was attended by over 2,000 representatives from 146 countries.