On World Environment Day, OSCE Chair calls for greater attention to safety of food and energy sources

KYIV, 5 June 2013 – On the occasion of World Environment Day, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, calls for greater attention to the safety of food and energy sources. This year, World Environment Day runs under the umbrella of the ‘Think.Eat.Save.’ campaign, which encourages people to stop wasting food and help keep the world’s natural resources safe.

“On the background of the three international “F’s crises” – food, fuel und finance - it’s a matter of utmost importance to keep these challenges in focus. Food security, environmental protection, green economies and renewable energy sources – all these issues are interlinked and attached to the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept,” the OSCE Chair said.

“The world needs clean, efficient and reliable energy services to meet its long-term demand for economic growth and development,” Minister Kozhara said. “With its call to stop wasting food, the World Environment Day also underlines the need for the sustainable use of energy and exploration of alternative energy resources, an issue that has been high on Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship agenda.” As a country of lasting agrarian traditions, Ukraine is strongly committed to contributing to food and energy security, which today is at the heart of economic, environmental and social development.

The Chairperson reiterated that Ukraine’s priority for 2013 is to address the impact of energy-related activities on the environment in the OSCE area and highlighted the importance of a broader use of alternative and renewable energy sources. He also called on the participating States to use the Helsinki+40 process to strengthen the Organization’s efforts in the fields of economy and environment protection.