At HLPF, FAO calls for enhanced partnerships to achieve food security and nutrition in SIDS

National ownership, community involvement and partnerships were emphasized as key elements to accelerate efforts towards achieving food security and nutrition in SIDS, said the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

“The achievement of food security and nutrition in SIDS will require additional resources, political commitment, collective action, and strong national leadership. Therefore, I would like to invite all Member States and SIDS partners to join the implementation of the GAP,” said René Castro, Assistant Director-General of the Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department at FAO, during the Global Multi-Stakeholder Small Island Developing States Partnership Dialogue on 12 July. “We must all act in a coherent manner to respond to the challenges of food security and nutrition in SIDS."

In his statement, Castro called for the accelerated implementation of the Global Action Programme (GAP) on Food Security and Nutrition in SIDS, a framework developed by FAO, DESA and OHRLLS in 2017 in response to a direct call made in the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway.

Castro also emphasized that no country is big enough to combat the effects of climate change alone but also that no small country is too small to innovate. He highlighted that the increase in fish consumption from 9kg in 1961 to over 20kg in 2016 per capita presented an economic opportunity that SIDS should seize.

Peter Thompson, UN Special Envoy for the Oceans, delivered the keynote speech at the session, calling for partnerships not only to discuss challenges but also implement solutions, including the sustainable consumption of rapidly declining fish stocks.

FAO also spoke discussed ways to support SIDS in increasing sustainability and resilience at the HLPF Thematic Review “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies: SIDS perspective” . On that occasion,

Lucas Tavares, Senior Liaison Officer at the FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations in New York, underscored the importance of coordinated action and political will to ensure the successful implementation of the Global Action Programme on Food Security and Nutrition in SIDS.

“Actions cannot be isolated. They must be intersectoral, grounded on lessons learned and well-defined priorities. They require national leadership, local involvement and international cooperation,” Tavares said.

The GAP focuses on three key objectives: the need to strengthen the enabling environment for food security and nutrition, the need to improve the sustainability, resilience and nutrition-sensitivity of food systems and the need to empower people and communities.