Statement on behalf of the Rome-based Agencies, FAO, IFAD and WFP, during the General Debate of the Second Committee

 

 

69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Statement on behalf of the Rome-based Agencies, FAO, IFAD and WFP, during the General Debate of the Second Committee

By Sharon Brennen-Haylock

Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations

October 2014

 

 

                                                                       

Mr.  Chairperson,

 

The Rome-based agencies, FAO, IFAD and WFP, welcome the opportunity to participate in the general debate of the 2^nd Committee, and I wish to assure you and the members of the Committee of our full support during the session.

 

The General Debate of the Committee is taking place at a time when global hunger reduction continues. The latest State of Food Insecurity (SOFI) report, jointly published by FAO, IFAD and WFP, shows that about 805 million people are estimated to be chronically undernourished in 2012–14, down more than 100 million over the last decade, and 209 million lower than in 1990–92. In the same period, the prevalence of undernourishment has fallen from 18.7 to 11.3 percent globally and from 23.4 to 13.5 percent for developing countries.

 

These figures demonstrate that the hunger target of the Millennium Development Goal 1– of halving the proportion of undernourished people in developing countries by 2015 – is within reach.

 

Despite overall progress, marked differences across regions and within countries persist, with modest progress in sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia. At the same time, the 2014 SOFI provides clear evidence that growth and rising incomes do not correlate proportionally with improved food security and nutrition. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people living in extreme poverty was more than halved. During the same period, the number of undernourished was reduced by only 20%.

 

Sustained political commitment at the highest level, with food security and nutrition as top priorities, is a prerequisite for a Zero Hunger world. A Zero Hunger world also requires an integrated approach including factors such as:

 

•  public and private investments to raise agricultural productivity and to reduce all forms of malnutrition, including stunting;
• better access, especially for smallholders, to inputs, land, services, technologies and markets;
• measures to promote rural development;
• social protection for the most vulnerable, including strengthening their resilience to conflicts and natural disasters and;
• recognition of  the increasing challenges posed by climate change and the need to feed a growing population.

 

The Climate-smart agriculture (CSA), launched here at the UN HQ during the recent Climate Summit, is an integrative approach to address the interlinked challenges of food security and climate change. It also builds upon sustainable agricultural practices that have been developed by farmers, especially family farms in both developed and developing countries.

 

It is therefore opportune that the theme for the World Food Day (WFD) this year, which will be observed here at the UN HQ on Monday 20 October, is “Family Farming: feeding the World, caring for the Earth”.

 

Indeed, it’s worth noting that it is smallholder farmers that are on the frontlines of climate change. Yet one aspect that is often overlooked is that they are much more than victims: They are small businesses and excellent clients for climate finance investments. If we invest more and better in rural people, we can empower them by providing access to weather information, institutional networks, finance, and adaptation technologies. By unleashing the full potential of rural people, they can help us feed a growing planet while at the same time restoring degraded ecosystems and reducing agriculture's carbon footprint.

 

That is the thinking behind initiative such as IFAD's Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme, or ASAP, WFP’s Food Security Climate Resilience (FoodSECuRE) Facility and FAO’s Global Blue Growth Initiative which seek to boost the contribution made by smallholders in various sectors.

 

The Rome-based Agencies, FAO, IFAD and WFP, along with all of our partners – government and non-government alike - will reiterate the message that we have conveyed all along, that investing in adequate social protection mechanisms, including nutrition-sensitive safety net programmes, while at the same time investing in agriculture, particularly in family farming, can make a dramatic contribution to food security and nutrition and consequently, to the well-being of people everywhere, particularly the poor.

 

Last but not least, I would like to draw your attention that there are a number of other important events that will take place during this 69^th UNGA, in which we  invite you to join us. These include:

 

• The observance of the International Day of Rural Women on 15 October,
• The launching of the International Year of Soils on 5 December here at the UN HQ. The International Year of Soils 2015 will be an effective way to raise awareness and promote sustainable soil management which is essential for agriculture, food security and nutrition. And lastly,
• The observance of International Mountain Day, 11December.

 

In closing, I wish to assure you of FAO’s, IFAD’s and WFP’s full support as you deliberate the many important issues before this Committee.

 

Thank you Chairperson.