FAO Director-Normal highlights the necessity to step up joint efforts to make agri-food methods extra inclusive, resilient and sustainable to fulfill the Sustainable Growth Targets
8 February 2020, Rome – The forty seventh Session of the UN Committee on World Meals Safety (CFS) has kicked off right this moment with a name to step up joint motion in direction of a complete transformation of world agri-food methods, with a purpose to make them extra inclusive, resilient and sustainable, in addition to to faucet their potential to contribute to the struggle in opposition to poverty, starvation , all types of malnutrition, and inequality.
In line with the FAO newest estimates, starvation is on the rise with almost 690 million being chronically undernourished and as much as 130 million extra being added due to COVID-19. Two billion folks eat low high quality diets that trigger micronutrient deficiencies and contribute to diet-related weight problems and non-communicable ailments. Greater than 3 billion folks haven’t any entry to wholesome diets.
Talking on the CFS opening session, FAO Director-Normal QU Dongyu famous that the COVID-19 pandemic might push some 100 million folks into excessive poverty and plenty of extra into power starvation and malnutrition. He additionally burdened that unsustainable agri-food methods proceed to place strain on pure assets, biodiversity, the surroundings, and local weather.
Stressing that the pandemic has prompted the worldwide neighborhood to rethink the way in which meals is produced, processed and consumed, Qu urged all companions “to work collectively in concord and solidarity to make agri-food methods extra inclusive, resilient and sustainable.” To this finish, he highlighted the essential position CFS performs by selling coverage convergence and coherence.
“Because the host of the CFS Secretariat and considered one of its funders, FAO strongly values the Committee’s potential, as a novel world platform for multi-stakeholder engagement, within the struggle in opposition to starvation and malnutrition,” he mentioned.
CFS devices
The Director-Normal additionally famous the significance of translating CFS merchandise and suggestions into concrete motion on the bottom, at regional, nation, and native ranges, which requires the robust engagement of all stakeholders, together with governments, civil society and the personal sector.
“This implies integrating the CFS coverage frameworks, as acceptable, into nationwide dialogues, legislative frameworks, in addition to nationwide, regional and world growth efforts,” he mentioned, alluding to the CFS Guidelines on Land Tenure, the CFS Principles for Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems , the Framework for Action for food security and nutrition in protracted crises and the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition, that are anticipated to be endorsed on Wednesday.
Qu highlighted that each one CFS merchandise ought to at all times depend on clear science and proof and acknowledged that FAO is able to help the Committee on the principle matters in its agenda for 2021: lowering inequalities, youth engagement and knowledge methods.
New FAO
The Director-Normal additionally spoke concerning the basic transformative motion FAO has taken over the past 18 months to refocus its efforts in alignment with the Group’s unique mandate to eradicate starvation and poverty.
For example, the Director-Normal pointed to the FAO’s evidence-based, country-led and country-owned Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which goals to speed up agricultural, transformation and sustainable rural growth, accompanied by its state-of-the-art digital instruments, together with the Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform, the Data Lab for statistical innovation and Earth Map.
Amongst different notable developments, Qu cited FAO’s holistic COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme, which harnesses science, expertise, knowledge, human enterprise and creativity; in addition to the Group’s not too long ago launched new Technique for Personal Sector Engagement to reinforce strategic partnerships in direction of reaching the Sustainable Growth Targets.
“We strongly imagine that accelerating and scaling up science, expertise and innovation is essential to assembly the aspiration of remodeling our agri-food methods and transferring in direction of reaching the SDGs, particularly SDG1 (No poverty), SDG2 (No starvation) and SDG10 (Lowered inequalities),” he mentioned.
The Director-Normal additionally welcomed 9 nations who’ve not too long ago joined the CFS, particularly Croatia, Djibouti, Honduras, Latvia, Maldives, Moldova, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Ukraine.
Different audio system
Through the opening session, UN Particular Envoy to the UN Meals Methods Summit Agnes Kalibata delivered a message on behalf of United Nations Secretary-Normal António Guterres wherein he underscored that 2021 could be pivotal for reaching SDG2 (eradicating starvation) as meals safety and vitamin have been probably the most urgent growth, safety and human rights problems with our time.
He referred to as for basic systematic change to deal with starvation, sustainability and malnutrition whereas respecting human rights, assuaging poverty and supporting inclusive and sustainable growth for all which he mentioned have been core to his considering behind the Meals Methods Summit later this 12 months in New York, and the pre-Summit in Rome in July. “The Committee on World Meals Safety has an vital position to play on this Summit, from the reviews of its Excessive-level Panel of Consultants, to the coverage convergence merchandise,” Guterres added.
For his half, CFS Chair and Everlasting Consultant of Thailand to the UN Companies in Rome, Thanawat Tiensin, burdened that the work of CFS has by no means been extra related than earlier than, because the Committee can present evidence-based coverage steerage to beat present challenges and uncertainties forward. He added that the UN Meals methods Summit 2021 in September could be a chance to construct on this momentum.
President of Worldwide Fund for Agricultural Growth (IFAD) Gilbert F. Houngbo referred to the present pandemic because the get up name to deal with the a number of advanced challenges dealing with meals methods and underlined the necessity for making them extra resilient and attentive to the wants of shoppers and producers alike.
In his video tackle, Govt Director of the World Meals Programme (WFP) David Beasley mentioned that the mixed results of local weather change, battle and now the COVID-19 pandemic have brought on a variety of injury on affected communities all over the world, stressing the very important position CFS should play to deal with this world humanitarian disaster whereas pledging his help to the Committee’s vital work.
The Chair of the CFS Excessive-Degree Panel of Consultants (HLPE) Steering Committee Martin Cole offered the important thing outcomes of the HLPE’s new report on “Meals safety and vitamin: constructing a world narrative in direction of 2030”. The report is predicated on the evaluation of meals safety and vitamin ideas, outcomes, drivers and demanding coverage instructions which can be very important for assembly SDG 2 targets and your complete 2030 Agenda.
He famous that based on the report we aren’t on observe to succeed in the Agenda 2030 underlining that enterprise as traditional is not going to be sufficient whereas pointing to the necessity for a transformative change to our meals methods.
About CFS47
CFS is the foremost inclusive worldwide and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work collectively to make sure meals safety and vitamin for all.
The forty seventh session (8-11 February) comes in opposition to a background of the unprecedented challenges posed by the impacts of the present COVID-19 pandemic on our meals methods and livelihoods of thousands and thousands of individuals worldwide.
Throughout a four-days lengthy session, the Committee is anticipated to endorse new Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition, ensuing from an inclusive multistakeholder negotiation course of, and knowledgeable by the scientific enter of the CFS Excessive Degree Panel of Consultants and a Technical Job Staff from among the many CFS Advisory Group constituencies.
These pointers will function a big reference level for nations and others of their efforts to eradicate all types of starvation and malnutrition by using a “meals methods” method. The rules may even be an vital contribution to the UN Meals Methods Summit scheduled to happen in September this 12 months.
The Committee may even provoke work to develop new Voluntary Tips on Gender Equality and Ladies’s Empowerment as associated to meals safety and vitamin.
