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Graziano da Silva stressed that almost 60 percent of the people suffering from hunger in the world live in countries affected by conflict and climate change.
FAO currently identifies 19 countries in a protracted crisis situation, often also facing extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods.
The livelihoods of these mostly rural people have been disrupted and "many of them have found no option other than increasing the statistics of distress migration," Graziano da Silva said.
"Strong political commitment to eradicate hunger is fundamental, but it is not enough," he said.
"Peace is of course the key to ending these crises, but we cannot wait for peace to take action" and FAO, the World Food Program and the International Fund for Agricultural Development are all working hard to assist vulnerable people, he said.
"It is extremely important to ensure that these people have the conditions to continue producing their own food.
Broad support and need for action The prospect of the worst food crisis since the Second World War – affecting northeastern Nigerian, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen – means "we mustn’t be resigned but make renewed and extraordinary efforts," said Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni delivering the keynote speech.
Gentiloni appealed to all of Europe to share Italy’s burden of large-scale arrivals in his country, in order to be "faithful to its own history, principles and civilization."
"We cannot save people by putting them in camps," insisted Graizano da Silva.