HIGH-LEVEL MINISTERIAL EVENT Transforming agrifood systems to increase resilience and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Harnessing the potential of SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs

HIGH-LEVEL MINISTERIAL EVENT

Transforming agrifood systems to increase resilience and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Harnessing the potential of SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs

Statement

By

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

29 June 2023

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

I am pleased to welcome you to FAO for this important meeting.

 

Today we will discuss how to transform agrifood systems in Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries.

 

We need an urgent transformation to build resilience and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

We all know too well the many challenges facing your countries, including:

• Vulnerability to the impacts of the climate crisis.
• A high dependence on imports.
• And limited access to financing.

 

All these challenges are interlinked.

 

Today, together, we will focus on how more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems can address these challenges and improve food, nutrition and livelihood security.

 

To address the serious threat posed by the climate crisis to agrifood systems we must prioritize climate-resilient agricultural practices. This includes:

• Using resilient crop varieties;
• Increasing productivity, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions – producing more with less;
• Implementing efficient and adapted soil, water and land management systems;
• And developing science-based tools for evidence based decision-making.

 

Key data from FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative can provide the support needed.  

 

For example, data provided by FAO has supported countries in the formulation of policies for efficient land use, and access to financing for farmers and local producers.

 

Loss and Damage is also a major issue affecting vulnerable countries, and populations dependent on the agrifood sector are often hardest hit by climate impacts.

 

Any financing mechanism on loss and damage must, therefore, put agrifood systems at the centre of its focus.

 

We must also improve access to healthy diets, and reduce the import of, and dependence on, highly processed foods.

 

To this end, initiatives such as the Global Action Programme on Good Security and Nutrition in SIDS, as part of the SAMOA Pathway, should be scaled-up to improve nutrition and well-being, reduce poverty and inequalities, and foster economic growth.

 

We also need to redirect consumption choices and investments in technology, innovation and infrastructure, such as transportation and storage facilities, to reduce post-harvest losses.

 

We must increase support to smallholder farmers with access to credit, training, and market opportunities, and foster sustainable and inclusive value chains that embrace fair trade and promote responsible business practices.

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

To achieve the transformation of agrifood systems, we need:

• ONE: Data and Information: to guide decision-making based on scientific evidence, share experiences and build networks.
• TWO: Innovation: to accelerate the development and upscaling of technologies, especially digital technologies such as mobile applications and data analytics, and ensure they are accessible to all.
• THREE: Investment: we need increased, targeted, bold, smart, flexible and upfront investments – including public, private and blended finance - because building resilience mitigates negative impacts and reduces the need for costly emergency assistance.
• AND FOUR: Inclusivity: 80% of our food is produced by family farmers and smallholder producers, with women playing a major role in food production and supply chains, yet they are often excludes from resources, credit, and decision-making processes.

 

We must close the gender gap in agriculture, and engage, enable and empower small-scale farmers, women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples to be agents of change.

 

Through our flagship initiatives, such as the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, the 1000 Digital Villages and One Country One Priority Product, FAO can support SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs to get where you need to be!

 

But we also need to find new ways of collaborating, expanding on what works, while innovating.

 

Based on our successful experience with the Platform of Latin America and the Caribbean for Climate Action on Agriculture, FAO can support the establishment of a common platform linking SIDS, LDCS and LLDCs.

 

To facilitate greater and better exchange of information and best practices, and allow for voluntary collaboration among countries on agriculture and climate action.

 

Such a platform would create synergies with major multilateral environment agreements, ranging from climate change to biodiversity to disaster risk reduction.

 

There is also an important opportunity through the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative, launched by the COP27 presidency and supported by FAO, to facilitate concrete actions to improve the quantity and quality of climate finance contributions to support adaptation.

 

Dear Friends,

  

SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs are priority countries for FAO – for this reason, upon taking office in 2029, I established – for the first time in FAO’s history – a dedicated office.

 

Agrifood systems transformation and the Four Betters – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life - are at the core of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, which guides over work for the next decade.

 

But we need to work together to achieve meaningful transformation.

 

By combining our skills and capacities, we can create innovative and transformative solutions to the challenges facing agrifood systems in our most vulnerable countries.

 

I look forward to continuing to strengthen our joint work to identify country-driven and country-owned solutions to harness the potential within your countries.

 

And I look forward to the tangible outcomes of today’s meeting to support, among others, the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action 2022-2031, as well as the 4^th UN International Conference on Small Island Developing States, and 3^rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

 

Thank you for your commitment, engagement and partnership.