Addressing Global Food Insecurity and Famine Risk: Reinforcing Collective Impact - Round Table Policy Dialogue

 

ADDRESSING GLOBAL FOOD INSECURITY AND FAMINE RISK: REINFORCING COLLECTIVE IMPACT

Round Table Policy Dialogue

Co-organized by the Permanent Missions to the UN of Italy, Brazil, and Uganda, the Delegation of the European Union to the UN and the Global Network Against Food Crises.

When: Monday, 29 April 2024| Time: 1.15 – 2.30 pm | Location: ECOSOC Chamber

Background: We are entering an era in which food crises have become increasingly frequent. Despite significant political attention and scaled up funding by the international community, food crises have become more severe and protracted. As per the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), in 2023, the total population experiencing IPC phase 5 - Catastrophe - was more than eight times higher than in 2016, and the number of countries experiencing the most severe manifestation of acute hunger increased from two in 2016, to five in 2023. Over 705,000 people in five countries / territories were facing Catastrophic conditions of acute food insecurity – the highest number in GRFC reporting and almost double that of 2022.

Food crises are driven by three primary factors: conflict and insecurity, economic shocks, and climate/weather extremes. The co-existence of these drivers is most often the reality, as they are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, persistent and intensifying, and rooted in structural causes such as fragile agrifood systems and rural marginalization. Conflict has remained the primary driver of food crises since 2018, affecting on average around half of the total population in acute food insecurity each year. Extreme climate and weather events are also becoming more frequent and prolonged, and their impact is becoming more severe. In 2023, the world experienced its hottest year with widespread episodes of extreme floods, storms, droughts, wildfires, and pest and disease outbreaks. From 2020 onwards, economic shocks became a more prominent driver, including due to the indirect impact of COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions.

Looking ahead, the convergence of intensifying conflict and insecurity, the devastating impact of extreme weather events driven mainly by El Niño, and inflation casts a shadow over the outlook for 2024, with crises such as the Sudan and Gaza facing the worst deterioration and the highest severity (IPC Phase 5), requiring immediate action to avert the looming threat of famine.

Global Food Crisis Initiatives: In an effort to turn the tide on rising acute food insecurity, the international community has made a range of bold and innovative commitments, while also investing in key partnership initiatives designed to facilitate their realization. These include, to name a few, the G20 Matera Declaration, the G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact, the US Road Map for Food Security, the EU Team Europe Response to the global food crisis, as well as time-bound initiatives such as the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission, the High-level Task Force on Famine, the Food Systems Summit and Coordination Hub, among others. Recent ambitious initiatives also include the G7 Global Alliance for Food Security and the upcoming Apulia Food Security Initiative, as well as the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, expected to be launched at the G20 Summit in November 2024. The Global Network Against Food Crises sits in support of these initiatives as a key long-term platform promoting sustainable solutions to food crises through its bilateral and multilateral partners.

Objectives: Urgent, coherent and effective collaboration is required to effectively address the unacceptable high levels of acute food insecurity and risk of famine and to safeguard the important investments made by the international community into food crisis contexts. Recognizing the opportunity to support coherence and continued collective momentum across food crisis-related initiatives, the G7 Global Alliance on Food Security, the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and the Global Network Against Food Crises are bringing together New York-based member state representatives to:

• Promote a common understanding of the severity, drivers and trends relating to the state of global food insecurity, based on the latest evidence and analysis of acute food insecurity and malnutrition.
• Highlight and promote key multilateral policy solutions required to collectively address and prevent food crises and promote opportunities to leverage these as part of a consistent approach that capitalizes on the respective added value of relevant global initiatives.
• Building on existing political commitments to address food crises, promote coherent member state engagement and collective messaging on food crises, as part of New York-based initiatives and processes.

Guiding Questions:

• What does the latest Global Report on Food Crises tell us, and what are the implications for consideration in the SDG 2 review, the Humanitarian Affairs Segment and the Summit of the Future?
• What do national governments, who are dealing daily with the effects of these multiple drivers of food crises, need from the rest of the international community? What lessons and success stories do they have for the rest of the community to learn from?
• How can the international community respond to, mitigate and/or prevent the most severe manifestations of acute food insecurity? What policies and approaches have demonstrated success in helping tackle food crises?
• How can we leverage global food security initiatives in high-level intergovernmental processes to better prevent and respond to food crises?
• What are some key multilateral actions recommended at New York level to more effectively address the continuing increase in global acute food insecurity?

Format: The in-person event will feature high-level representatives from FAO, WFP and other members of the Global Network Against Food Crises, who will share reflections and discuss solutions based on the findings of the latest Global Report. Member state participation will be in-person at PR level in the ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York. Key reflections and recommendations from the roundtable discussion will be captured in a Chair’s summary to be endorsed by the Sponsors of the event.

 

Run of show

1.15 pm - 1.35 pm	Opening Segment	H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly H.E. Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations H.E. Mr. Sérgio França Danese, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations H.E. Mr. Kwoba Godfrey, Deputy Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations
1.35pm - 1.55pm	Panel Discussion on the findings of the Global Report, Global Food Security Trends & Recommendations for Action	Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director General Valerie Guarneri, WFP Assistant Executive Director Ted Chaiban, UNICEF ASG/Deputy Executive Director
1.55 pm - 2.25pm	Interventions from the floor [2mins each]	Moderated by H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations
2.25pm - 2.30pm	Wrap up and closing remarks	H.E. Ms. Hedda Samson, Charge' d'Affaires a.i., Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations