FAO takes part in the ECOSOC Event on the Transition from Relief to Development

On 22 June, FAO participated in the Joint Event of the Operational Activities Segment (OAS) and Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) on the Transition from Relief to Development. The event was co-chaired by the Vice-Presidents of ECOSOC H.E. Ms. Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and H.E. Mr. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations and Vice-President of ECOSOC.

In light of concerning rise of food insecurity worldwide, this year’s Transition Event was on ‘Preventing the looming risk of multiple famines and addressing rising acute food insecurity: taking action to save lives and reduce people's needs, risks and vulnerabilities through closer humanitarian, development and peacebuilding collaboration’.

Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Geneva Office, was part of the panel and represented FAO. Other panellists included Mr Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Mr Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, Deputy Executive Director (WFP).

With over 155 people food insecure in 2020, and over 40 million people one step away from famine, all panellists highlighted the human suffering which is ongoing in far too many countries. Looking forward, Dominique Burgeon in his intervention highlighted the need to tackle the root causes of crises. ‘Funding is absolutely critical to save lives, but it is not enough to prevent people from falling in acute food insecurity. To do this, we need to meet immediate needs today through humanitarian assistance but at the same time address the underlying drivers of acute food insecurity. It is clear that humanitarian, development and peace actors have to work together to build more a resilient future for the most vulnerable populations’ he said.

The webcast recording of the Transition Event and ECOSOC HAS 2021 is available here.

In addition, FAO co-organised two side-events at the HAS. The first one, held on 23 June, was on “the Challenges Ahead: Equipping the Future with Anticipatory Action”, co-organised with IFRC, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Start Network, the Anticipation Hub, OCHA and WFP. With a widening gap between needs and resources available, the system needs to urgently reverse these unstainable trends. In this regard, FAO stressed the pivotal role Anticipatory Action plays in foreseeing shocks affecting already critically vulnerable people. Please find the recording here.

The second side-event co-organised by FAO with WFP, OCHA, Concern Worldwide, IRC, NRC, World Vision and sponsored by Dominican Republic, Ireland, Switzerland and the United States of America,  took place on 24 June and focused on “Preventing famine and responding to extreme food insecurity in the COVID-19 era”. The side-event brought together frontline stakeholders to seek gender-sensitive solutions, actions and resources to avert famine, mitigate extreme food insecurity and protect the hard-won development gains. All panellists stressed the need for addressing the root causes of today’s hunger. Preventing the deterioration into famine requires urgent action at scale. Please find the recording here.