54th Session of the Commission on Social Development

 

 

Statement of FAO LON Director, Ms. Carla Mucavi

 

54^th Session of the Commission on Social Development

 

Item 3) a: Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world

3 February 2016

 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

Allow me to congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau on your election, and to assure you of FAO’s full support in the work of the Commission.

 

Recognising, that rising inequalities within and among countries and enormous disparities of opportunity, wealth and power as well as persistent gender inequality are immense challenges confronting the world today, Member States unanimously adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, which puts the call to leave no one behind and to combat inequalities, inequities and discrimination at its heart.

 

The Sustainable Development Goals, embedded in Social Development, require from us have a holistic, integrated, transformative and people-centred approach, working with all social sectors and partners to achieve our goals by 2030, in order to fully eradicate poverty and hunger from the face of humanity. Inequality can be seen, for example, by the fact that despite enough food supply at the aggregate level, around 800 million people in the world are still hungry, food insecure and can not exercise the most basic Human Right, the Right to Food.

 

On the other hand, rural women disproportionately experience poverty and exclusion. They face systemic discrimination in rights to land and natural resources, and they carry most of the unpaid work burden due to stereotyped gender roles, intra-household inequality, and lack of infrastructure and services.Inequality of various segments of populations in vulnerability to climate change and resilience to disasters also exists.

 

Disadvantaged stakeholders, in particular, need to be empowered to increase their level of knowledge, influence and control over their own livelihoods, including development initiatives affecting them. This includes women, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples.

 

Evidence shows that reliable and regular social protection schemes can help poor communities to overcome financial constraints and manage risks that usually discourage them from pursuing higher returns. When implemented on a large scale, social protection systems can also contribute to an overall reduction of the poverty gap, empowering families and communities.

 

For example, social protection systems were critical in fostering progress towards the MDG 1 hunger and poverty targets in a number of developing countries, where a total of 73 developing countries, out of 129 monitored by FAO, reached the MDG 1c hunger target. This was also possible in most of them due to stable political conditions and economic growth.

 

Although economic growth is a key success factor for reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition, but it has to be inclusive and provide opportunities for improving the livelihoods of the poor, often accompanied by social protection policies targeted at vulnerable population groups Enhancing the productivity and incomes of smallholder family farmers is key to progress.

 

It is also important to ensure political commitment, foster partnerships and ensure adequate funding to implement the programmes and projects that can ensure the reduction and mitigation of inequalities and improve the living conditions of vulnerable population, particularly those living in rural areas of developing countries that constitute the majority of the world´s food insecure and hungry population.

 

In closing, let me underline that failure to address inequality at a global level could endanger the success of the 2030 Development Agenda. It is therefore our expectations that the discussions and outcome of the Commission, as well as the Special High-Level Session of ECOSOC on Inequalities, on 30 March, will identify ways and means to address inequalities within and among countries.

 

FAO is committed to contribute to these processes and its successes, to realize the objective of the 2030 development agenda to leave no one behind and achieve a “Zero Hunger World”.

 

 

Thank you Mr. Chairman.