UN addresses the pandemic’s impact on food systems

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has launched a Policy Brief to address The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was the penholder, in collaboration with the World Food Programme, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the World Health Organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Measures to control or mitigate COVID-19 outbreaks are already affecting global food supply chains. Border restrictions and lockdowns are, for example, slowing harvests in some parts of the world, leaving millions of seasonal workers without livelihoods, while also constraining transport of food to markets. The policy brief draws attention to the fact that unless immediate action is taken, the world could face a global food emergency.

To mark the launch of the policy brief, on 9 June Gutteres released a video message highlighting the need to focus attention on the populations that are already food insecure, strengthen social protection, and transform food systems around the world, so that they become more sustainable.

Earlier that day, in his remarks during the opening of the United Nations Economic and Social Council Humanitarian Affairs Segment, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu welcomed the support that the United Nations System is offering to FAO’s mission of eradicating hunger and enabling access to nutritious food for all people.

FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero presented the brief’s key messages to correspondents from around the world during a Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Later in the week, Torero also addressed Communication Leads from across the United Nations regions.

One of the main outcomes involved all actors calling for concerted action to support a smooth transition to more sustainable food systems, in better balance with nature and in support of healthy diets and better health prospects for all.