Holy See Urges Resilient Agrifood Systems and Responsible Fisheries Amid Global Crises

Newsroom (12/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) Msgr. Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP), has issued a renewed call for resilience, solidarity, and human dignity at the heart of the world’s agrifood and fisheries systems.

Speaking Tuesday at the 35th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Msgr. Chica Arellano underscored the urgency of strengthening agrifood systems that have been deeply shaken by a succession of global crises. He voiced support for the conference’s aim of promoting food systems capable of ensuring that no person is deprived of the nourishment that “enables them to lead a serene and full life.”
According to the Holy See’s Permanent Observer, recent years have exposed the fragility of global food production and distribution. He warned that a convergence of factors—including “merciless wars, economic recessions, extreme climate events, political instability, and market volatility”—has created what he described as a “lethal combination” for the world’s food systems.

Msgr. Chica Arellano pointed to several conflicts that have disrupted both global and local food markets. Among them was the Russia–Ukraine war, which destabilized grain exports and fertilizer supplies, reverberating far beyond the region. He also noted the impact of the ongoing Iran–United States conflict, which has already driven up fuel and fertilizer prices, placing additional pressure on agricultural production worldwide. At a more localized level, wars such as the conflict in Sudan have devastated food systems entirely, triggering severe shortages in major cities and a dramatic rise in acute hunger.
In the face of these challenges, Msgr. Chica Arellano urged countries to resist fragmentation and instead respond through coordinated action. Nations, he said, must confront these “very negative trends” by walking together “in fraternal harmony,” with the shared objective of guaranteeing stable and permanent access to sufficient, nutritious, and safe food for all.

He called on European countries in particular to adopt legal frameworks that guide a transition toward food models grounded in social justice, environmental sustainability, and respect for the human person. Such principles, he emphasized, should inform all public and private action within the agrifood sector.

Building resilience, he argued, cannot mean relying on the same production models that have contributed to inequality and environmental degradation. Rather, it requires a transformation in how food is produced—moving away from what he described as greedy exploitation and toward increased investment in the most vulnerable and forgotten rural areas. The agricultural sector, he added, must be supported by wise economic and political decisions that encourage young people to commit to farming with enthusiasm, rather than abandoning the countryside in discouragement and migrating to cities.
Msgr. Chica Arellano’s reflections on agrifood systems are closely aligned with his broader advocacy for responsible and humane management of natural resources, including fisheries. In separate concluding remarks delivered within the framework of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, he highlighted the global importance of fishing as a source of food, employment, and income for millions of families and communities.

While acknowledging FAO’s “serious and qualified work” in managing fisheries, he cautioned that economic benefits must never eclipse the human dimension of fishing activity. Drawing on Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, he warned that unsustainable exploitation and non-selective fishing practices threaten marine ecosystems and the very livelihoods they support.
Beyond environmental concerns, Msgr. Chica Arellano drew attention to grave human rights abuses within the fishing sector. He cited reports of forced labor, human trafficking, fraudulent recruitment, and inhumane working conditions endured by some fishermen. Such realities, he said, demand concrete and immediate action rather than rhetorical commitments.

For the Holy See, protecting those exploited in fisheries and agrifood systems is inseparable from safeguarding the environment itself. Msgr. Chica Arellano called for effective monitoring, stronger implementation of international conventions, and collaboration among governments, international organizations, and civil society to ensure decent work and to eradicate human exploitation.

“The world continues to need values such as justice, solidarity, and respect for the fundamental rights of human beings,” he said, particularly for those who are poor or vulnerable. Only through shared responsibility and coordinated efforts, he concluded, can agrifood and fisheries systems truly serve humanity—meeting present needs without compromising the future, and placing the dignity of the human person firmly at their center.

– Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News