70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly - 3rd Committee - Item 28 - Social Development

FAO LON Director, Ms. Carla Mucavi

70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

3rd Committee - Item 28 - Social Development

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

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 Committee.

In the past, there was a tendency to place greater emphasis on the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.  With the recently adopted Agenda 2030, the importance of social dimension has been emphasised, reflecting the commitment of World Leaders for sustainable development to be approached “in a balanced and integrated manner”.

The Sustainable Development Goals, embedded in Social Development, require us to have a holistic, integrated, transformative and people-centred approach.

As we begin the implementation of the new development agenda, a comprehensive perspective and participatory approach is needed, requiring us to work 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. This means all stakeholders should have an active and equitable role in the formulation of development policies and strategies and also in the, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development activities.  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.  We should also take into account the important role of cooperatives, especially farmers groups and producer organizations, in the implementation of the SDGs.

On 16 October 2015, we will have the 35^th Observance of World Food Day, which also marks the 70^th Anniversary of FAO.  The World Food Day theme is “Social Protection and Agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty”. This theme has been chosen to draw global attention to the role that social protection plays in eradicating hunger and poverty when it is prioritized in national development agendas.

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, reached the MDG 1c hunger target. This was possible in most of them due to stable political conditions and economic growth, often accompanied by social protection policies targeted at vulnerable population groups.

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. Enhancing the productivity and incomes of smallholder family farmers is key to progress.

Social protection directly contributed to the reduction of poverty, hunger and malnutrition by promoting income security and access to better nutrition, health care and education. By improving human capacities and mitigating the impacts of shocks, social protection fosters the ability of the poor to participate in growth through better access to employment.

Despite the successful expansion of social protection programmes worldwide, basic social protection coverage remains a privilege that only a small percentage of the world population can benefit from. Although, experiences show that the extension of social protection programmes in many countries has come at relatively low cost.

In closing, I invite members of the Committee to join FAO, IFAD, WFP and ILO for an interactive discussion on World Food Day on 16 October, here at the United Nations.  I reiterate FAO’s commitment to work with Member States and all stakeholders toward implementing Agenda 2030, and achieving the SDGs also through the promotion of inclusive social development.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.