UN General Assembly adopts resolutions on food and agriculture, rural poverty
The 75th session of the UN General Assembly adopted on 21 December two Second Committee resolutions whose process were supported by FAO together with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Agriculture development, food security and nutrition and Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. FAO and DESA co-led the drafting of the Reports of the Secretary-General and provided substantive secretariat to Member States as they negotiated both resolutions.
The Agriculture development, food security and nutrition resolution, which was adopted by consensus, acknowledges the importance of fostering sustainable farming and agriculture to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, especially in developing countries where agriculture is a key sector. Furthermore, it also recognizes that sustainable food systems have a fundamental role to play in promoting healthy diets and preventing non-communicable diseases. For that reason, the resolution calls upon the international community to advance collective actions addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture development, food security and nutrition, including through the promotion of sustainable agriculture and food systems in the upcoming Food Systems Summit in 2021.
On 16 October, FAOs 75th anniversary, the Organization delivered a statement on the Secretary-General’s report about “Agriculture development, food security and nutrition.”
The Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development resolution recalls that nearly 80 percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and work in agriculture, and stresses the importance of promoting socioeconomic development in these regions by implementing targeted measures. The resolution also recognized the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rural population and that they might be less prepared to deal with these effects, and calls for the promotion of inclusive economic transformation in rural areas and called for strengthening cooperation, including digital cooperation. The resolution was approved by a recorded vote with 126 in favor, 49 against, and two abstentions.
The debate on this issue was informed by the Secretary-General’s report on “Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which FAO presented to the Second Committee on 13 October .
In addition, FAO supported the UN Environment Programme in providing substantive Secretariat services for the Combating sand and dust storms resolution, which addresses efforts to control and reduce the negative impacts of sand and dust storms on human settlements. The resolution was adopted by a recorded vote.