Parliamentary Briefing of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition

Parliamentary Briefing of the European Parliamentary Alliance
against Hunger and Malnutrition
Achieving a sustainable Food Systems Transformation - Reflections for the
UN Food Systems Summit

Remarks by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

21 May 2021

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.The pandemic has brought about a crisis of unprecedented magnitude.

2.It is a wake-up call to use our planet’s natural resources more sustainably and responsibly.

3.The numbers were already speaking a clear language before the pandemic.

4.690 million people are chronically undernourished.

5.Three billion people cannot afford healthy diets and unsafe food supplies affect one in 10 people.

6.The pandemic’s impact exacerbated the situation.

7.The 2021 Global Report on Food Crises showed that the steady increase in acute food insecurity reached 155 million people in 2020.

8.The pandemic also exposed the fragility of current agri-food systems and highlighted the need to transform them. 

9.The renewed FAO is leveraging the potential of agri-food systems transformation for advancing rural development and eradicating poverty.

10.FAO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme is a powerful entry-point not only to ‘build back better’ but also to get back on track in achieving the SDGs.

11.This includes supporting the most vulnerable, increasing resilience and integrating the component of Green Recovery, considering the importance and urgency it is gaining at country level.

12.Data analysis and real-time data are of great importance in that context and FAO has developed a set of tools for that, including the Hand-In-Hand Geospatial Platform.

13.FAO’s new Strategic Framework for the next decade seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

14.We urgently need to do things differently and act holistically to transform our agri-food systems.

15.Because soon, the table will need to be set for 10 billion people!

16.Transforming the agri-food systems requires:

• using innovative approaches and digital technologies;
• fostering economic diversification and
• investing in health; education, human capacity, social protection and infrastructure.

17.The UN Food Systems Summit is a timely opportunity to galvanize momentum, foster dialogue and present game changing solutions.

18.As the UN Anchor Organization for Action Track 1 on “Ensuring access to safe and nutritious food”, we make sure that the working groups benefit from existing knowledge and experience of the UN.

19.The FAO Chief Scientist and Chief Economist are part of the Scientific Committee.

20.The UN Food Systems Summit 2021 Science Days will be facilitated and co-hosted by FAO on 8 and 9 July.

21.FAO’s Chief Economist is leading a consortium of modelling platforms to assist in the assessment of proposed actions and interventions.

22.FAO is also providing technical support to Members that are convening national level dialogues.

23.FAO, with funding from the EU, is undertaking rapid food systems assessments in 60 countries, which will inform the development and implementation of the national food systems road maps.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

24.2021 is also a special year for the partnership between FAO and the European Union, as we celebrate 30 years of successful collaboration on sustainable development.

25.We are currently in the midst of our Strategic Dialogue with the European Commission.

26.With this dialogue, we are entering into a new chapter of our relationship marked by the urgency to act in a coordinated manner to bring effective responses to global challenges.

 

Honorable Members,

27.I thank the European Parliament and the Members of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition for their continued efforts to ensure that the issues of food and nutrition remain high on the political agenda.

28.As FAO, we recognize the crucial role that Parliamentarians play in shaping the global agenda and establishing an enabling political and legislative environment.

29.With challenges there come opportunities, let us seize them together!

30.Let’s work together to transform our agri-food systems for people and planet!

31.Thank you.