Thematic Review: Taking Forward SAMOA Pathway Wednesday, 12 July 2017

Madam Moderator, it is an honor to be here. I would like to thank ECOSOC for the opportunity to contribute to this thematic review.

 

Whether we refer to the 2030 Agenda, the Sendai Framework, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda or the Paris Agreement, all recognize that Small Island Developing States face a unique set of challenges, limitations and vulnerabilities.

 

This makes it difficult for their combined population of some 65 million people to reach their full potential and achieve the sustainable development goals.

 

If we look at food security and nutrition, as a group, SIDS are falling behind.

 

Undernourishment decreased by 44 percent in the developing world between 1990 and 2015, but the reduction was of only 26 percent in SIDS.

 

At the other extreme, Pacific SIDS have seven of the ten countries with the highest prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the world. Eleven Caribbean SIDS have obesity rates exceeding 30 percent among adult women.

 

Anaemia in women and children is a public health issue in most SIDS.

 

The triple burden of malnutrition comes with high health, economic and social costs.

 

Recognizing the need to act, Paragraph 61 of the S.A.M.O.A Pathway asked FAO to facilitate the development of an action program on food security and nutrition situation in SIDS.

 

We worked with UN-DESA and O-H-R-L-L-S to develop the Global Action Programme (GAP).

 

The consultations began in 2015. SIDS and other Member States, UN System, CARICOM, SPC, IOC, and a range of governmental and non-governmental SIDS partners.

 

I want to thank all who participated in the consultations. Especially the Alliance of Small Island States chaired by Maldives, for their leadership and unwavering support.

 

The GAP was launched last week during the FAO Conference in Rome. As the President of Palau said, this inclusive process has led to a shared ownership of the GAP.

 

Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

 

The GAP is a framework within which SIDS and their development partners can work to design and implement more coherent actions to promote food security and nutrition.

 

SIDS have fragile natural environments and are particularly threatened by natural disasters and climate change. With limited arable land, they have a high dependence on food imports. These are only some of the obstacles to food security and nutrition in SIDS.

 

Addressing these complex issues requires multiple and coordinated actions. And although the dimensions of the challenges facing SIDS differ between and within SIDS regions, there are certain common themes. They provide the structure of the Global Action Programme.

 

The GAP focuses on three key objectives:

 

First, the need to strengthen the enabling environment for food security and nutrition. This includes ensuring political commitment to addressing all forms of malnutrition and strengthening the governance structures required to promote coordinated and coherent decisions and actions at all levels.

 

Second, the need to improve the sustainability, resilience and nutrition-sensitivity of food systems. Promoting local food systems that deliver healthier land- and ocean-based diets, particularly to the most vulnerable groups, will be critical to improve the food security and nutrition status of SIDS.

 

Consumers need better access to affordable, high quality and safe food. This should also reduce the reliance on poor quality, energy rich processed imported foods, with the added benefit of creating livelihood opportunities for rural populations.

 

Actions will also need to promote climate-adaptation and build the resilience of agriculture and fisheries sectors, strengthening SIDS abilities to sustainably use the resources they have as large ocean states.

 

And third, the need to empower people and communities. Community-level decision-making is crucial in addressing food security and nutrition. Decisions need to be based on better informed understanding of their consequences and with the participation of the affected populations.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

The GAP puts countries in the driving seat. But ensuring food security and nutrition in SIDS will require a coordinated and collaborative action involving different stakeholders.

 

The success of the GAP will depend on the extent that it is implemented, aligning, complementing and supporting existing regional and national food security, nutrition or development strategies of governments and development partners, in the framework of 2030 Agenda and its commitment to leave no one behind.

 

 To end, let me say that the time to act is now. How SIDS deal with the challenges they face will determine if they will be able to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and achieve sustainable development.

 

Many initiatives have already been triggered in areas such as fisheries, blue growth, agriculture, livestock and forestry. FAO will work closely with partners at global, regional and country level to design programmes that are well-aligned with national priorities responding to GAP’s objectives.

 

I invite all of you to join this effort. Thank you for your attention.