đź“· Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte Mayor Rommel C. Arnado at the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2025 in Berlin, Germany.| From Arms to Farm Foundation
Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte Mayor Rommel C. Arnado said that conflict, climate change, and food insecurity are interconnected due to various factors.
Arnado made the remarks as he is the first Filipino to become a high-level keynote speaker at the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2025 in Berlin, Germany.
He adds his name to a distinguished roster of speakers from past years, which features prominent figures such as the ministers from Germany’s Food and Agriculture Ministry, the current United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the African Union Commission’s leading agronomist and economist Josefa Sacko, and the United Kingdom’s King Charles.
“Climate change damages the environment and disrupts food production, which leads to hunger,” Arnado said. “When resources like food and water become scarce, it often leads to conflict as people compete for what’s left.”
Arnado explained that in conflict-affected areas, it’s difficult to bring opposing sides together. However, programs focused on climate action and hunger relief can serve as powerful tools for building cooperation. “Shared goals like fighting hunger and protecting the environment can bring people together, even in areas of conflict,” he stated.
Such efforts, Arnado noted, not only address immediate issues of resource scarcity but also foster trust and social cohesion among communities.
“When people work together to solve these problems, they can build the foundations for lasting peace,” he added.
The panel, organized by the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in collaboration with the BMEL, explored how addressing the climate-food-conflict nexus can enhance global peace and security.
The discussion highlighted the importance of embedding food security and climate resilience into peacebuilding initiatives.
“By tackling these interconnected issues, we can create a more stable and peaceful world,” Arnado concluded.
The GFFA 2025 aims to inspire leaders to integrate solutions for hunger, climate change, and conflict into foreign and security policies, showcasing the strategic importance of this approach in achieving sustainable peace. (TCSP)
