In her opening speech, the President of the Republic of Slovenia and Honorary Patron of the 2nd Slovenian Humanitarian Forum, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, highlighted the alarming situation of child victims of conflict and awarded prizes to two students who took part in the "For a World Without Hunger" competition.

Speaking on the panel "The vicious circle between armed conflict and food crisis", Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, said: "In Gaza, hunger has become a tool of war. People are dying because they have no access to humanitarian aid. Slovenia is using all the political means at its disposal to build peace, knowing that this is our common responsibility. I can say with certainty that Slovenia's voice is heard in the international arena on issues of peace and security". The panel also included Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, and Chimwemwe Nyambose Ndhlovu, National Coordinator of Caritas Malawi. The panellists discussed the alarming global food crisis, particularly from a humanitarian, conflict prevention and peace-building perspective. They also discussed how to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access in crisis situations, how to protect critical civilian infrastructure, and how to create secure conditions for food production, including through humanitarian demining and effective management of land and water resources.

In the afternoon session, Mr Carsten Staur, Chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), presented the report on the peer review of Slovenia's development cooperation and humanitarian aid, followed by Mr Edvin Skrt, Director General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, who presented the implementation of these recommendations.

Next on the agenda was a panel discussion on "Food security and building sustainable food systems" with an opening address by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Ms Urška Klakočar Zupančič. The panel included Ms Tatiana Molcean, Executive Director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Mr Carsten Staur, Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, Mr Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine and Trade Representative of Ukraine, Mr Rilli Lappalainen, President of CONCORD, the European Confederation of NGOs working on sustainable development and international cooperation, and Dr Melita Gabrič, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The panellists discussed the key challenges of transforming global food systems and the role of UN agencies and programmes in this regard, with a particular focus on whether a world without hunger, the second Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda, can even be achieved by 2030.

They also presented examples of good practice in ensuring food security, such as the School Meals Coalition, which Slovenia joined today. The initiative, supported by the World Food Programme, aims to ensure that all children around the world receive a healthy and nutritious meal at school by 2030. The Declaration of Commitment was signed by Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, in the presence of Carl Skau, WFP Deputy Executive Director.

On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Tanja Fajon signed an agreement on a joint project between Slovenia and WFP to strengthen the climate resilience of communities in the drylands of Kenya. She also held bilateral talks with Carsten Staur, Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, and Tatiana Molcean, Executive Director of the UN Economic Commission for Europe.