MANILA – On the 40th anniversary of its Representation in the Philippines, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) underscored the need for increased and accelerated investments in food security, rural development, resilience-building and peace in Mindanao.

Citing the increasing hunger and malnutrition rates across the world, FAO Representative in the Philippines José Luis Fernández addressed senior officials and representatives of the Government of the Philippines, the diplomatic corps, international development institutions, non-government organizations and the private sector at the FAO Year-end Development Partners Forum held in Makati City on 27 November 2017. 

“After steadily declining for over a decade, global hunger is on the rise again, affecting 815 million people in 2016. It is imperative that we re-evaluate the way we work to ensure that we remain responsive to the needs of our time. As we have witnessed over the past four decades, bringing safe, affordable and nutritious food to everyone’s table is as important as it is complex.” he said.

Fernández explained that, “Investments in the systems that address the most basic needs of people should continue to be a priority. We cannot solve poverty, hunger, lack of education, ensure good health for all, achieve lasting peace and build sustainable cities when access to food and livelihoods, especially in rural areas, are not fully addressed.”

Vice President Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo, who was the guest of honor at the event congratulated FAO for enhancing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Filipino families over the past 40 years.

“Our generation is tasked with its greatest challenge to eradicate poverty and extreme hunger while ensuring food security for all in a volatile world,” she said.

Vice President Robredo also emphasized the urgent need to restore of the food supply chain in areas affected by the five-month-long armed conflict in Marawi City.

“In communities like Marawi, where the economy and people’s livelihood rely greatly on agriculture, the effects of conflict can be felt deeply across the food value chain. That is why the job of rebuilding and reconstructing Marawi will have to take into account the re-establishment of sustainable food systems,” she said.

The Philippines and FAO

Against the backdrop of the Second World War, the Philippines was among the 34 nations that founded FAO in October of 1945 to ensure humanity’s freedom from hunger, increase levels of nutrition, improve the condition of rural populations and contribute toward an expanding world economy.

The Organization’s work in the country started in the late 1950’s with a research programme in marine fisheries biology. This was followed by several emergency response efforts, including controlling a coconut disease called “cadang-cadang,” which had already decimated some 10 million trees, and the livelihood recovery assistance in Mindanao after the catastrophic Moro Gulf earthquake and tsunami in 1976.

With an expanding programme, the Government and FAO signed an agreement to establish a Representation in the Philippines on 14 November 1977. The FAO Country Office opened its doors in January 1978.

Over the past 40 years, FAO has implemented more than 400 national projects in the Philippines, reaching over 504 000 farming and fishing families or over 2.5 million people. In addition, the Philippines also received support through FAO regional and global projects.

FAO continues to focus on strengthening the country’s food and nutrition security, increasing the sustainability and competitiveness of agricultural production, including fisheries and forestry. FAO also promotes the sustainable management of the environment and natural resources, while strengthening the country’s resilience to the impacts of climate change, natural and human-induced disasters such as strong typhoons, drought and armed conflict, among others.

Current efforts are guided by the FAO Country Programing Framework in the Philippines, which is designed to support national priorities set out in the Philippine Development Plan, and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

MORE INFORMATION: FAO Philippines 40th Anniversary brochure