UNGA 74: Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition

74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Second Committee
Agenda item 24. Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition

Joint Statement by FAO, IFAD and WFP
Carla Mucavi, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York

 

I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Rome-based agencies: FAO, IFAD and WFP.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is people-centered, places the eradication of poverty and hunger among its core priorities, and identifies sustainable agriculture, investing in rural development, and transforming our food systems as key drivers of inclusive, sustainable development.

Unfortunately, the latest evidence provided in the 2019 State of Food Security and Nutrition shows the world is not on track to achieve SDG 2. The number of hungry people in the world is no longer falling and continues to increase in almost all African subregions, as well as in South America and some subregions in Asia.   

Progress on reducing child undernutrition is also slowing. Although there has been some improvement, it still falls short of what is needed to meet global nutrition targets by 2030. As of 2018, 148.9 million children under 5 were affected by stunting and 49.5 million by wasting.

We are also facing a global epidemic of overweight and obesity. And while seemingly unrelated, poor diets are responsible for the multiple burden of malnutrition where obesity and different forms of undernutrition coexist.

Conflict and protracted crises, increasing climate variability and extremes and economic slowdowns and downturns are key drivers behind the rise in hunger and malnutrition in many regions.

It is critical that targeted actions are put in place to strengthen the resilience of those whose food security and nutrition is most at risk.

Bolder, better-targeted actions are needed to renew progress toward ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition, including overweight and obesity.

In this context, I would like to invite you to the celebration of World Food Day in New York that, this year, will take place exceptionally on 17 October and focuses on the theme “healthy diets for a Zero Hunger world.”

 

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

As highlighted in the “Report of the Secretary General on Agriculture development, food security and nutrition” and in the “Global Sustainable Development Report”, food systems transformation can play a critical role, not only in eradicating poverty, hunger and all forms of malnutrition, but also in advancing achievement of other major goals, including to:

• improve access to food,
• conserve and restore biodiversity and natural resources,
• create decent employment opportunities for women and youth,
• meet the challenges of urbanization,
• promote sustainable production and consumption,
• build resilience to climate change, and
• promote peaceful, inclusive and equitable societies.

Promoting the development of food systems that focus on inclusion and gender equality, are nutrition-driven, sustainable, eco- and climate-friendly and resilient is a challenge that requires action across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It also requires special focus on the world’s 475 million small family farms and 370 million indigenous peoples who are responsible for a substantial share of the world’s food supply – up to 80 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Family farmers conserve 85 percent of the world’s biodiversity for food, and provide a variety of uncompensated ecosystem services.

Yet family farmers, and the rural communities they belong to, are being left behind. They are often the ones most impacted by hunger, poverty, natural resource degradation or depletion, extreme weather and conflict. They also have less access to education, health services, energy, clean water and sanitation and decent jobs.

The UN Decade of Family Farming recognizes the critical role of the world’s family farmers for achieving the 2030 Agenda.

To promote inclusive transformation, we need to innovate and invest in food systems, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, particularly in rural areas.

Food systems analysis can help us see the connections between human activities in the economic, social and environmental challenges we face.

And it can help us focus our attention and energies on the appropriate solutions.

Thank you.