EUROPEAN HUMANITARIAN FORUM “Failure is not an option: the imperative of nexus to fight famine”

EUROPEAN HUMANITARIAN FORUM

“Failure is not an option: the imperative of nexus to fight famine”

Speaking Points

For

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

As prepared

21 March 2022

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

1.         Recent trends of global food insecurity are alarming. 

 

2.         Preliminary estimates set out in the latest edition of the Global Report on Food Crises, to be released next month, indicate that there was a further significant increase in 2021 of people experiencing acute food insecurity.

 

3.         The report highlights the severity and number of people in Crisis or worse situations – that is around 190 million people in IPC Acute Food Insecurity Phase 3 or above, compared with 155 million in 2020.

 

4.         More than 75% of these people live in countries affected by conflict and insecurity.

 

5.         During 2022, we expect global acute food insecurity to worsen, with localized famine conditions likely to be recorded again.

 

6.         Stronger action and new approaches by the international community are urgently required to reverse these trends.

 

7.         Resource mobilization is not matching the growing needs of countries affected by food crises.

 

8.         We are facing an extremely complex global situation, overlapping with the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.

 

9.         The present war in Ukraine highlights once again the vulnerability of our agrifood systems, and the global consequences of local disruptions.

 

10.       The ongoing war in Ukraine and related economic restrictions on the Russian Federation have important implications for global food prices,

 

11.       And will likely have significant knock-on effects on chronic and acute food insecurity, especially in already vulnerable and import-dependent contexts.

 

12.       It will impact on the prices of energy and on high fertilizer prices, putting at risk the harvest for next season.

 

13.       The interlinkage between conflicts and food insecurity is evident.

 

14.       In order to ensure that “failure is not an option”, building the resilience of vulnerable people in fragile contexts must remain a key priority.

 

15.       Transforming agrifood systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable is a key part of the solution.

 

16.       Supported by political commitment, this transformation can contribute to overcoming poverty and inequality, and mitigate the drivers of food insecurity.

 

17.       The international community needs to urgently increase resources to match the growing food security needs,

 

18.       And to end the cycle of destabilization, fragility and future crises and conflicts, which are affecting vulnerable communities the most.

 

19.       We must also find more cost-effective response solutions to address food crises, including an increased prioritization of agriculture as a frontline humanitarian response, and as a means to overcome access constraints.

 

20.       The current humanitarian response cannot address the underlying causes of food crises by itself.

 

21.       We must better integrate our interventions with sectors and actors beyond the food security and agriculture sectors.

 

22.       This includes better connecting with peace actors, strengthening links with the private sector, and creating effective partnerships across sectors.

 

23.       We need to ensure a coordinated approach to implementing the humanitarian-development-peace nexus at all levels.

 

24.       This must remain a priority for the international community and calls for a stronger commitment from all stakeholders across the nexus.

 

25.       To ensure that “failure is not an option” we cannot continue with “business-as-usual”!

 

26.       Thank you.