The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Franco Frattini, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are hosting a working dinner at Villa Madama tonight with the high-level representatives that are gathered in Rome for the FAO Summit. This event will allow the delegates to further explore the issue of the relationship between climate change and food security. Tonight’s working dinner will foster an informal and useful exchange of views for a “progress report” on preparations for the Copenhagen Conference, which continues to be a crucial appointment for the prospect of reducing the production of green house gases. The outcomes of the Singapore Summit indicate that there are still obstacles to overcome on the path toward what continues to be the objective, namely, a binding global agreement. In the three weeks leading up to the UN Conference on Climate Change, Italy will lend its efforts toward the achievement of a concrete commitment by all Countries to finding common ground in Copenhagen. In setting climate change among the main priorities of its Presidency of the G8, Italy firmly believes that the environmental sustainability of economic development and the eradication of hunger and poverty are two closely-related goals that should be pursued through a comprehensive strategy and dialogue among all the stakeholders. Climate change could have a serious impact on the fight against hunger in the world and on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The poorest Countries are the most negatively impacted by global warming as well as the least equipped to address it because of their infrastructure, technological means, and economic resources. At the same time, the consequences of climate change undermine the ecosystem, threatening the survival of entire populations. It is indispensable that food security actions be combined with an effective management of natural resources and adequate protection of the full variety of life forms. It is with this awareness that Italy carried out its responsibilities as President of the G8: in L’Aquila, in addition to approving the World Food Security Initiative, the developed and the emerging Countries endorsed the goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of two degrees. An important G8-Africa Joint Declaration was also signed in L’Aquila for a strengthened partnership on water: given the implications of water scarcity on peace and security, aggravated by climate change, it is fundamental to assist Developing Countries in the management of water resources. The European Union has taken a leadership position in the fight against climate change through its adoption of ambitious legislation that includes the goal of a 20% reduction of emissions from the 1990 level by 2020, with a possible increase to 30% if there is a global agreement. In the context of the European commitment, Italy will continue to do its part. We have begun to work with the World Bank to help developing Countries to gain the greatest possible advantage from the flexible mechanisms provided for at the international level to cut the cost of lowering emissions. We are also very involved in the area of deforestation. One billion six-hundred mission people in the world depend on forests for their sustenance and income. We intend to promote the development of adequate incentives, aimed primarily at developing Countries, for initiatives to counter the degradation of the world forest heritage.