FAO statement at UNGA77 Science Summit: Sustainable use of marine and freshwater resources for food security in developing countries

 

Science Summit at the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly

"Sustainable use of marne and freshwater resources for food security in developing countries"

Statement delivered by

Qu Guangzhou, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the UN in New York

 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Delegates, Colleagues,

I would like to thank Portugal and Brazil for inviting FAO to join this Science Summit event on “Aquatic Foods,” as we call it in FAO. We have the honor to co-organize this important event in New York.

I am happy to note that we meet during the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture. 

The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report estimates that up to 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021, this is 150 million more since before the COVID-19 pandemic started. 

Fisheries and aquaculture can help revert this situation but are still an often-underestimated part of food systems. They play an important and growing role in providing food, nutrition and jobs across the world. 

Fish account for more than 25 percent of animal protein intake in Least Developed Countries. Globally, this share is at 17 percent. And about 120 million people depend directly on fisheries and aquaculture-related activities for their livelihoods. Most live in developing countries. 

And yet, only half of the countries with a public health nutrition policy identify aquatic foods as a key priority. That is remarkable when we know aquatic foods are a unique source of many nutrients hard to find in other foods, such as long chain omega-3 fats and iodine, both essential for an optimal development of children.

But we have seen increase in consumption over the decades. The per capita consumption of aquatic foods has more than doubled since the 1960s.

And there is a potential for the sector to continue to grow sustainably. 

There is also political commitment to move in this direction. We saw this at the United Nations Ocean Conference co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya in Lisbon this year and at the last session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, held earlier this month in Rome. COFI highlighted the importance of aquatic foods from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture to global food security, nutrition and livelihoods, and their contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

And the Aquatic and Blue Foods Coalition was established in the context of the Food Systems Summit. FAO contributes to this coalition that already has over 20 countries and many more non-state actors as strategic partners.

To advance the agenda of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, FAO recently launched the “Blue Transformation” Roadmap at the UN Ocean Conference. The roadmap has three main objectives:

a)     First, achieve sustainable aquaculture production to meet the growing future demand. The objective is to achieve 30-45% growth in global aquaculture by 2030, which is feasible with the right technological development, investment, governance frameworks, and value chain developments.

b)    Second, promote effective fisheries management to ensure all fish stocks produce at their maximum sustainable yield and secure equitable livelihoods.

c)     Upgrade and develop aquatic foods’ value chains by developing new products, adding value, reducing loss and waste, improving traceability and market access, and building consumer awareness and including aquatic foods in national food security strategies.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me conclude by reaffirming that aquatic foods have a great potential, but this potential needs to be developed in a sustainably and equitably way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

FAO is committed to contribute to this with its unique knowledge and expertise. 

I look forward to hearing the experiences you will share today. 

Thank you for your attention.