FAO Side event for HLPF: “Toward a hunger-free world, with adequate nutrition for all”

 

“Toward a hunger-free world, with adequate nutrition for all”
17 July 2017

8:00 – 8:50am

Conference Room 7, United Nations Headquarters

Moderator Remarks

 

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

 

My name is Maria Helena Semedo. I am the Deputy Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

 

On behalf of the co-organizers, FAO, DESA, IFAD, WFP, O-H-R-L-L-S, and the Permanent Missions of El Salvador, Ethiopia, Italy and Maldives, I would like to thank you for joining us this early morning for the side-event “Toward a hunger-free world, with adequate nutrition for all”.

 

This meeting combines two side-event proposals, namely on SDG2 and on food security and nutrition in SIDS. I would like to thank the organizers for agreeing to merge these two proposals.

 

Our main objective today is to kick-off the ministerial segment with a meaningful discussion on SDG2 and its relevance to eradicating poverty, improving prosperity and achieving all Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Although progress has been made, evidence shows that our major gains in fighting hunger may be at risk as climate change, conflict, lack of appropriate policies and insufficient investment threaten food security and nutrition in many countries.

 

To tackle these complex challenges, our actions must be transformative, embracing the three dimensions of sustainable development –economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection, and addressing root causes to leave no one behind.

  

Before inviting the main speakers of today’s side event to make their interventions, I would like to share with you some of the main recommendations of a two-day expert group meeting held in June that brought together over 100 experts representing Member States, civil society, private sector, academia, UN and other actors for an in-depth technical discussion on SDG2 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

First, we need political commitment transformed into concrete action through comprehensive, inclusive and participate country-specific policies and programs.

 

Second, transform food systems so that they are more sustainable, inclusive and resilient. This transformation can give a strong push for the entire 2030 Agenda.

 

Third, enable the poor and vulnerable to be drivers of sustainable development. This is especially relevant in rural areas where global poverty is concentrated.

 

Fourth, recognize that malnutrition is a major cause of the global burden of disease and comes with high health, economic and social costs.

 

Fifth, the urgency to act. This includes the urgency to implement to respond to humanitarian crises, to scale-up sustainable solutions and to build resilience.

 

Copies of the key messages of the EGM are available in the room.

 

These key messages have found echo in many interventions during the HLPF last week. And we hope that they will also be useful for governments, policy makers and other stakeholders as they implement the 2030 Agenda.