FAO Director-Normal highlights the require to phase up joint attempts to make agri-meals techniques a lot more inclusive, resilient and sustainable to fulfill the Sustainable Improvement Ambitions
8 February 2020, Rome – The 47th Session of the UN Committee on Environment Food Stability (CFS) has kicked off nowadays with a connect with to phase up joint motion toward a in depth transformation of world wide agri-foodstuff programs, in order to make them more inclusive, resilient and sustainable, as properly as to tap their opportunity to contribute to the struggle against poverty, starvation , all sorts of malnutrition, and inequality.
According to the FAO latest estimates, starvation is on the rise with virtually 690 million remaining chronically undernourished and up to 130 million more staying extra due to the fact of COVID-19. Two billion men and women consume reduced top quality eating plans that cause micronutrient deficiencies and contribute to diet regime-linked weight problems and non-communicable ailments. Far more than 3 billion people today have no entry to healthy weight loss plans.
Talking at the CFS opening session, FAO Director-Basic QU Dongyu famous that the COVID-19 pandemic may push some 100 million men and women into severe poverty and lots of additional into persistent hunger and malnutrition. He also stressed that unsustainable agri-food stuff methods continue on to place force on normal means, biodiversity, the setting, and weather.
Stressing that the pandemic has prompted the worldwide local community to rethink the way meals is produced, processed and consumed, Qu urged all associates “to function with each other in harmony and solidarity to make agri-foods devices extra inclusive, resilient and sustainable.” To this stop, he highlighted the critical purpose CFS performs by promoting policy convergence and coherence.
“As the host of the CFS Secretariat and just one of its funders, FAO strongly values the Committee’s probable, as a special world wide platform for multi-stakeholder engagement, in the combat versus starvation and malnutrition,” he stated.
CFS devices
The Director-Normal also pointed out the importance of translating CFS solutions and suggestions into concrete motion on the floor, at regional, region, and regional amounts, which calls for the strong engagement of all stakeholders, which include governments, civil modern society and the personal sector.
“This usually means integrating the CFS policy frameworks, as proper, into nationwide dialogues, legislative frameworks, as very well as countrywide, regional and world development endeavours,” he said, alluding to the CFS Suggestions on Land Tenure, the CFS Concepts for Accountable Investments in Agriculture and Foods Methods , the Framework for Motion for meals safety and nourishment in protracted crises and the CFS Voluntary Tips on Foods Devices and Diet, which are expected to be endorsed on Wednesday.
Qu highlighted that all CFS items ought to often count on very clear science and evidence and mentioned that FAO is prepared to assist the Committee on the principal subjects in its agenda for 2021: reducing inequalities, youth engagement and facts techniques.
New FAO
The Director-Standard also spoke about the essential transformative action FAO has taken above the past 18 months to refocus its efforts in alignment with the Organization’s primary mandate to eradicate hunger and poverty.
As an instance, the Director-Typical pointed to the FAO’s evidence-based mostly, state-led and country-owned Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which aims to speed up agricultural, transformation and sustainable rural development, accompanied by its state-of-the-art digital instruments, which includes the Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform, the Facts Lab for statistical innovation and Earth Map.
Between other notable developments, Qu cited FAO’s holistic COVID-19 Response and Restoration Programme, which harnesses science, know-how, information, human company and creativeness as effectively as the Organization’s recently launched new System for Private Sector Engagement to increase strategic partnerships toward achieving the Sustainable Improvement Targets.
“We strongly think that accelerating and scaling up science, know-how and innovation is essential to conference the aspiration of reworking our agri-food stuff units and transferring to obtaining the SDGs, in particular SDG1 (No poverty), SDG2 (No starvation) and SDG10 (Diminished inequalities),” he claimed.
The Director-Normal also welcomed 9 nations around the world who have just lately joined the CFS, particularly Croatia, Djibouti, Honduras, Latvia, Maldives, Moldova, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Ukraine.
Other speakers
All through the opening session, UN Exclusive Envoy to the UN Foodstuff Systems Summit Agnes Kalibata sent a concept on behalf of United Nations Secretary-Normal António Guterres in which he underscored that 2021 would be pivotal for accomplishing SDG2 (eradicating starvation) as foods safety and nourishment have been the most pressing advancement, stability and human rights difficulties of our time.
He known as for basic systematic improve to handle starvation, sustainability and malnutrition though respecting human legal rights, alleviating poverty and supporting inclusive and sustainable growth for all which he said were main to his pondering behind the Food stuff Devices Summit later this calendar year in New York, and the pre-Summit in Rome in July. “The Committee on Environment Food stuff Protection has an significant purpose to participate in in this Summit, from the studies of its High-level Panel of Gurus, to the policy convergence goods,” Guterres extra.
For his section, CFS Chair and Permanent Agent of Thailand to the UN Businesses in Rome, Thanawat Tiensin, pressured that the get the job done of CFS has in no way been extra appropriate than just before, as the Committee can present evidence-primarily based policy advice to get over present worries and uncertainties ahead. He additional that the UN Food stuff devices Summit 2021 in September would be an chance to construct on this momentum.
President of Intercontinental Fund for Agricultural Advancement (IFAD) Gilbert F. Houngbo referred to the existing pandemic as the wake up phone to handle the numerous complicated worries facing foodstuff techniques and underlined the need to have for creating them more resilient and responsive to the requirements of shoppers and producers alike.
In his video clip address, Government Director of the Planet Food stuff Programme (WFP) David Beasley explained that the put together consequences of local weather change, conflict and now the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted a great deal of problems on impacted communities all over the planet, stressing the critical function CFS will have to perform to tackle this world humanitarian crisis although pledging his support to the Committee’s crucial do the job.
The Chair of the CFS Superior-Stage Panel of Professionals (HLPE) Steering Committee Martin Cole presented the vital results of the HLPE’s new report on “Meals security and nourishment: creating a international narrative towards 2030”. The report is primarily based on the evaluation of food stuff protection and nutrition principles, outcomes, motorists and important plan directions that are vital for assembly SDG 2 targets and the full 2030 Agenda.
He famous that in accordance to the report we are not on observe to achieve the Agenda 2030 underlining that organization as normal will not be more than enough even though pointing to the need for a transformative change to our meals programs.
About CFS47
CFS is the foremost inclusive intercontinental and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to do the job jointly to guarantee foodstuff protection and nutrition for all.
The 47th session (8-11 February) will come versus a qualifications of the unparalleled worries posed by the impacts of the latest COVID-19 pandemic on our foodstuff units and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of men and women all over the world.
All through a 4-times extended session, the Committee is envisioned to endorse new Voluntary Guidelines on Foodstuff Devices and Nourishment, resulting from an inclusive multistakeholder negotiation method, and knowledgeable by the scientific input of the CFS Higher Amount Panel of Specialists and a Technological Undertaking Group from among the CFS Advisory Team constituencies.
These rules will serve as a substantial reference position for countries and other individuals in their efforts to eradicate all kinds of starvation and malnutrition by utilizing a “food systems” approach. The tips will also be an essential contribution to the UN Food items Methods Summit scheduled to choose spot in September this 12 months.
The Committee will also initiate perform to acquire new Voluntary Suggestions on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment as associated to meals security and diet.