Dear guests.

As we assess the state of food security, it is essential to recognize that, despite significant progress, this remains a persistent global challenge. While the world produces enough food to feed every person, millions still go hungry. According to the United Nations, nearly 9% of the world's population is undernourished. Moreover, food security is not just about having enough to eat; it is also about having access to nutritious and safe food, to live an active and healthy life.

The main threat to food security in the Arctic circle is the degree to which food supply and food production depend on the import of inputs, such as energy, feed, fertilizers, and packaging. We are all fishing nations, but fishing would soon become difficult if oil supplies were limited. A high percentage of our food is imported. According to an estimate in the report of the Nordic Council of Ministers from last year, Iceland produces 53% of the food consumed in the country, while the percentage is 17% in Greenland and 22% in the Faroe Islands. The ratio is based on energy content. It has also been estimated that the ratio is only 5% in Alaska. Furthermore, domestic production would soon shrink further if access to international markets was restricted.

The pandemic and the Russian invasion in Ukraine has made us think much more about food security than we did before. It suddenly became clear to us, that we cannot take it for granted. Governments in many countries have taken a variety of measures to respond to the challenges of these events, to make their food production more resilient. Iceland is no exception to that, and Jóhannes Sveinbjörnsson, one of the participants here today, did a thorough assessment of Iceland's food security, which has been very useful to us.
The Icelandic parliament adopted a new food policy earlier this year. One of its aims is to guarantee food security, by ensuring that we always have at least a set quantity of food stocks in the country, as well as inputs for production.

The policy also emphasises the need to strengthen the pillars of our food systems by for example, supporting innovation in food production and increasing sustainability of domestic production regarding inputs, resource utilization and the circular economy.
Emphasis will also be placed on reducing emissions from food production, based on life cycle analysis and assessment of the production's carbon footprint. Let us not forget that climate change is a major threat to food security worldwide.
Action plan to implement the policy in is being formed and will be presented before the end of the year. The policy set as a vision for 2040 but in the plan, we will list our priorities for

the next five years.

We need to encourage further cooperation on making our food production more independent of imported inputs and we need to do it by better utilising what we already have. The situation in that regard is very different in individual countries of the Arctic, but production less dependent on imported inputs, is better equipped to face challenges. Countries can work together, for example, by sharing knowledge and jointly supporting research. We always depend on others in various ways, but it matters who we depend on.

A major project should be to reduce waste and make better use of organic raw materials, among other things, for fertilizer and energy production. A third of all food is wasted all along the value chain, in the primary production, in the processing industry, in the retail sector and in our homes. We can and must do better in that field.

Phosphorus, for example, is an essential nutrient for crop plants and is a limited resource. It is important to make better use of the methods of the circular economy to capture and reuse it from the organic raw materials that are created in our communities. For the same purpose, it is necessary to develop methods for further production of nitrogen that do not rely on imported natural gas. Organic ingredients have very different properties and often require additional advice and accessible knowledge to be able to use them in the most efficient way.
There are several opportunities in the Arctic Circle to address our food security. Our nature can be harsh, but it is also bountiful and unique. There is no single solution to fit everyone, but we must strive to increase our food security by utilising our resources better in a sustainable manner.

In conclusion, addressing global food security is not only a moral imperative but also a matter of global stability and prosperity. The challenges are daunting, but they are not insurmountable. By adopting sustainable practices, reducing waste, empowering primary producers, and promoting a holistic approach to food security, we can and will move forward.