The rules will help international locations of their efforts to eradicate all types of starvation and malnutrition
11 February 2021, Rome – Members of the Committee on World Meals Safety (CFS) endorsed the first-ever Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition aiming to help international locations and others of their efforts to eradicate all types of starvation and malnutrition by using a complete meals programs strategy. The endorsement befell in the course of the CFS 47th Session (8-11 February 2021).
The Voluntary Pointers characterize a novel instrument addressing malnutrition throughout all the agri-food programs in a coherent and holistic method. They embody a variety of suggestions aimed toward decreasing coverage fragmentation between related sectors with a particular emphasis on the meals, agriculture and vitamin sectors, whereas additionally addressing financial, social, and environmental sustainability – all of which have an effect on meals programs and need to be addressed in any respect ranges.
Combatting malnutrition in all its kinds together with undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, chubby and weight problems, is likely one of the most urgent international challenges for international locations at the moment.
In line with FAO’s latest estimates, starvation is on the rise with practically 690 million folks chronically undernourished and as many as 130 million extra being pushed into starvation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two billion folks endure from micronutrient deficiencies and the variety of adults which can be chubby or overweight is continuous to rise placing them at excessive danger for non-communicable illnesses, the primary killer globally. Greater than 3 billion folks can not afford a nutritious diet.
Ensuing from a five-year inclusive multi-stakeholder negotiation course of, the rules are knowledgeable by the scientific enter of the CFS High Level Panel of Experts and a Technical Job Staff from among the many CFS Advisory Group constituencies. The Voluntary Pointers goal to help the event of coordinated, multi-sectoral nationwide insurance policies, legal guidelines, programmes and funding plans to allow secure, wholesome and nutritious diets by way of sustainable meals programs, to operationalize the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) Framework for Action in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Improvement.
“Right this moment is a historic day for the Committee on World Meals Safety and all the UN household,” CFS Chair and Everlasting Consultant of Thailand to the UN Businesses in Rome, Thanawat Tiensin mentioned of the Voluntary Pointers’ endorsement, including that the following step could be much more essential and difficult – their uptake and implementation on the regional, nationwide and native degree.
Presenting the ultimate draft of the Voluntary Pointers, Hans Hoogeveen, Ambassador of Netherlands and Chair of the CFS Open-Ended Working Group on Diet that negotiated them, mentioned that the doc represents a concrete instrument within the arms of governments, UN companies, civil society, personal sector, monetary establishments and different actors that may present steering on insurance policies and interventions at native and nationwide ranges to handle malnutrition in all its kinds from a holistic meals programs perspective.
FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero mentioned: “FAO appreciates the timeliness of the Voluntary Pointers to help the implementation of the UN Decade of Motion on Diet by rising the visibility, coordination and effectiveness of coverage and motion throughout meals programs for higher vitamin recognizing the interconnectedness with higher setting, higher manufacturing, and higher lives.”
Meals programs strategy
Meals programs form folks’s dietary patterns and dietary standing. They’re a fancy net of actions involving manufacturing, processing, dealing with, preparation, storage, distribution, advertising, entry, buy, consumption, meals loss and waste, in addition to the outputs of those actions, together with social, financial and environmental outcomes.
The suggestions contained within the Voluntary Pointers deal with selling clear and accountable governance, sustainable provide chains, equal and equitable entry to wholesome diets by way of sustainable meals programs, meals security throughout the sustainable meals programs, vitamin data, training and knowledge, gender equality and ladies’s empowerment, and constructing resilience of meals programs in humanitarian context.
The CFS members at the moment additionally shared views and offered concepts and proposals on methods to promote dissemination, use and software of the Voluntary Pointers in any respect ranges. The Voluntary Pointers will even be an essential contribution to the UN Food Systems Summit scheduled to happen in September this 12 months. The rules are the one coverage instrument negotiated at multilateral degree on the difficulty of meals programs and vitamin.
This week, the Committee can also be anticipated to provoke work to develop new Voluntary Pointers on Gender Equality and Ladies’s Empowerment as associated to meals safety and vitamin.
CFS is the foremost inclusive worldwide and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work collectively to make sure meals safety and vitamin for all, hosted and co-funded by FAO.
