Today is World Food Day. More than 150 countries around the world are celebrating World Food Day (WFD) in more than 50 languages and through hundreds of activities and programs, making it the most celebrated United Nations (UN) day of the year. Food is a basic need. It gathers government and private sector to discuss – and implement – policies and processes that will ensure food security. It gathers families, friends and strangers to talk and build relationships that strengthen communities. It also creates heroes who work hard to produce, plant, harvest or transport food to sustain our world. The significance of World Food Day, established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is highlighted by the involvement of key people in launching this year’s celebration. In Rome, headquarters of the FAO, Director-General QU Dongyu, officially launched this year’s celebrations on Oct. 14. Attending the meeting were the mayor of Rome, the heads of the other UN Rome-based agencies, and the executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Giving special messages were Pope Francis, the president of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In the Philippines, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who is also the Agriculture Secretary, will lead the celebration and the start of week-long activities tomorrow. Giving special messages will be Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform, and country officials of the FAO and WFP. Around the world hundreds of private sector groups and non-government organizations are also celebrating the day with various activities like feeding programs. The activities support World Food Day 2002’s theme – “Leave no one behind, through better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.” For as we are aware, food also defines what separates people – the bountiful presence of food on the table states privilege; its absence describes the poor. As FAO defines the challenge: Our globalized world is one where our economies, cultures, and populations are becoming increasingly interconnected. Some of us are vulnerable because of who we are or where we live, but the reality is that we are all fragile. When someone is left behind a chain is broken. That impacts not only the life of that person, but also ours.” It focuses on the reality that millions of people live with hunger and malnutrition. Around the world, as many as 828 million people suffer from hunger and 3.1 billion people – almost 40 percent of the world’s population – cannot afford a healthy diet, a FAO statement said. In the Philippines, the proportion of poor Filipinos in 2021 was recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority at 18.1 percent, or 19.99 million Filipinos who live below the poverty threshold. The call to “Leave no one behind” is a big challenge. Food scarcity has been pushed by many factors—conflicts, climate change, rising prices, and recently, the Covid pandemic. Today, a “global solidarity” is needed to transform agrifood systems to foster inclusive economic growth, and achieve sustainable development,” a FAO statement said. World Food Day helps raise awareness of the crucial need for successful agriculture policies to ensure that there is ample food for everyone. Meanwhile, what can one person reading this editorial do to celebrate World Food Day? Donate cash or food to an organization that works to fight hunger in the Philippines. Volunteer to teach livelihood skills to people in poor communities. Get involved in agriculture. “A sustainable world is one where everyone counts.”