credit: twitterungapresident tweet/  President of the UN General Assembly  María Fernanda Espinosa greets Pope Francis in Vatican City May, 27, 2019. 

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS –      The President of the UN General Assembly María Fernanda Espinosa has concluded a trip to Vatican City and Rome where she met with Pope Francis and other authorities during meetings on climate change and 2030 Agenda.   On Saturday,  Madame Espinosa spoke at the Pontifical Academy in Vatican City on Climate Change and New Evidence from Science, Engineering and Policy.  The event was attended by several Finance Ministers.  Espinosa also held a bilateral meeting with His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, and was greeted at the meeting by Pope Francis. On Sunday,  Espinosa took part in the launch of the UN Decade of Family Farming and Global Action Plan, at the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.

 “The UN Decade of Family Farming is an opportunity to increase public awareness on the role that family farmers – many of which are women and young people – play in our society and in our economies.”

-President of the UN General Assembly  María Fernanda Espinosa

According to the President of UNGA’s spokesperson, Espinosa stressed that: “In a world where one third of the food produced is lost or wasted and one third of land is used for livestock production, family farmers are vital socio-economic actors who can support improved livelihoods, job creation, community cohesion, and development in rural areas. From pastoralists to indigenous peoples, forest dwellers, family farmers make a crucial contribution to the 2030 Agenda and for sustainable development”.

''Estamos en las mejores manos cuando estamos alimentados por esa fuente sostenible y milenaria que es la #AgriculturaFamiliar", @mfespinosaEC @UN_PGA

👉https://t.co/mom8uk2y3Q #HambreCero #Agenda2030 #ODSpic.twitter.com/ehAnMe99vW

— FAO en español (@FAOenEspanol) May 27, 2019