High Level Political Forum Session on “Ensuring that no one is left behind – Lifting people out of poverty and addressing basic needs”

High Level Political Forum

Session on “Ensuring that no one is left behind – Lifting people out of poverty and addressing basic needs”

11 July, 15.00 -16.30 p.m.

Statement by Ms. Carla Mucavi

Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations

 

Thank you for Madam moderator. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Addressing poverty and reaching the furthest behind first is of paramount relevance for people living in rural areas.

The rural poor represent more than three-quarters of the global population living in poverty. Their efforts to overcome this condition are often limited by lack of decent jobs, social protection, and of inadequate access to natural and productive resources.

Policies focusing on the critical agents of change - family farmers, foresters, fisherfolk, rural women and rural youth – can produce dramatic and lasting effects on the economies of developing countries.

I would also like to highlight the win-win situations we can create by combining productive support with social protection.

For example, cash transfers can provide a buffer in times of crisis, encourage school attendance and regular health checks, and gives extra income that can be used to invest in productive assets or in the welfare of families. It is also money that is used to buy locally, boosting rural economies and is an effective tool to empower women.

Another example is school meals, that help guarantee the food security of poor children in different countries. Procuring food for school meals from local family farmers ensures healthy meals and creates markets for small-scale producers.

In this connection I would like to ask the panellists, for whom I thank for their insights, how we can stimulate these and other win-win situations that, coherent with the spirit of the 2030 Agenda, allows us to address different Sustainable Development Goals with an integrated approach?

Thank you for your attention.