72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly 2nd Committee - General Debate

Madam Chair,

 

Allow me to begin by expressing FAO’s readiness to fully support the work of the Second Committee Chair, the bureau and Member States in your deliberations and decisions over the next months.

 

Rest assured of FAO’s continued support to the work of the Committee, including to the upcoming consultations on the Resolutions on Agriculture Development, Food Security and Nutrition and on Agricultural Technology for Sustainable Development among other areas.

 

It is our hope that the debate and the resolutions you consider will contribute to the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, build resilience, identify and scale up efforts that are having positive impacts, promote a constructive exchange of experiences and help address shortcomings that might exist.

 

FAO is fully supporting the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We mainstreamed the Sustainable Development Goals into our Program of Work and Budget and will report outcomes of work against 15 SDGs, contributing to 40 SDG targets and measured by 53 indicators.

 

Madam Chair,

 

The challenges that the world faces today makes one thing clear: there is no easy way out. Sustainable development requires integrated responses that tackle its economic, social and environmental dimensions and delivers for the people and the planet, leaving no one behind.

 

Allow me to share with you an alarming example that illustrates some of these challenges. While the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development made the bold commitment to Zero Hunger, only two years after its adoption, and, after years of reduction, estimates indicate that the number of chronically undernourished people reached 815 million in 2016, up from 777 million in 2015.

 

Conflict, weak institutional capacities, climate-related shocks, and economic slowdown are some of the causes associated with this increase.

 

I invite you to take a closer look at the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. The report was jointly prepared by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. It tracks progress towards SDG targets 2.1 and 2.2, and it also takes a deeper look at the theme of building resilience for peace and food security.

 

In this regard, the report notes that, to ensure that no-one is left behind requires a conflict-sensitive approach aligning actions for immediate humanitarian assistance, long-term development and sustaining peace (SDG16).

 

I would also like to highlight that this year’s report marks the beginning of a new era.

 

First, while previously the report presented the State of Food Insecurity in the World, its scope has now been expanded to include The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. This change reflects that the report will now monitor progress towards SDG2 hunger and malnutrition targets 2.1 and 2.2 and their indictors, as opposed to the single Millennium Development Goal 1 hunger target.

 

Second, for the first time, the report measures not only the traditional prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) but also the prevalence of food insecurity. This is the first time that the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), measuring SDG indicator 2.1.2, is published.

 

Third, given the broadened scope, UNICEF and the World Health Organization have joined the traditional partnership of FAO, IFAD and WFP in compiling and analysing the data contained in the report. We are confident that this partnership will result in a more comprehensive understanding of the state of food security and nutrition and of the necessary actions needed to end hunger and all other forms of malnutrition.

 

Madam Chair,

 

I would also like to recall that DESA, FAO, IFAD, WFP and DESA co-organised an Expert Group Meeting on SDG 2, in preparation for the High-level Political Forum. The meeting brought together over 100 experts from governments, UN system, research institutions, regional organizations, academia, indigenous peoples, civil society and the private sector. Allow me to share some key messages with you, as I believe they also bear relevance to your debates in the Second Committee:

 

• We must recognize the critical interdependence of poverty and hunger, and adopt a holistic approach within SDG2 and its targets, and between SDG2 and the 2030 Agenda as a whole;
• We must transform food systems so that they are more inclusive, sustainable and resilient;
• Rural people must be seen as not only beneficiaries of assistance but also and mainly as agents of change;
• Science, technology and innovation for agriculture should be increasingly guided by local needs and demands, and build from the knowledge and expertise available in rural and indigenous communities; and,
• Inclusive governance mechanisms are important to ensure engagement in policy processes and to promote accountability.

 

Let me reaffirm that there is an urgency to act in response to the rise in hunger that we see today, and also to implement sustainable solutions that build resilience and longer-term food security.

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend World Food Day on October 16. This year the theme of the observance is “Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development”. I wouldalso like to note that World Food Day coincides with the discussions that the Second Committee will have on Agriculture Development, Food Security and Nutrition.

 

To end, let me join others in expressing our condolences to the victims and their families affected by the attack in Las Vegas.

 

Thank you for your attention.