Food Security is at the top of the COP27 Agenda-Special Interview with the Regional Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Mr. Abdul Hakim Elwaer

Sharm El Sheikh (November 7): In his interview today (November 7, 2022) with CNBC Arabia, Mr. Abdul Hakim Elwaer,  Assistant Director General UN- FAO Near East and North Africa, articulated the challenges facing the African and Arab Regions in meeting the SDG-2 (Zero Hunger) and achieving food security. 

There is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet.  Elwaer in this regard cited FAO statistics, that worldwide as many as 828 million people still go hungry. In Africa, 278 million people suffer from chronic hunger. This corresponds to 20 percent of the continent's population. While over 51 million in Arab region suffer from hunger, Elwaer explained. 

African and Arab countries need to act urgently to improve food security. Projections of the regions’ food balance indicate that dependence on imports will increase due to climate change impacts including sever and long droughts, temperature rise, fluctuation of rainfall intensity and duration and drop in crop yields.  The war in Ukraine have severely disrupted the country’s agricultural production and food exports.  This in-turn jeopardized further the food security for Africa and the Arab region-being the largest import of grains in the world, the FAO Assistant Director General said.

For the COP 27, Mr. El Waer stressed that food and water securities are, for the first time, high on this year's COP agenda.  Additionally, the Egyptian Presidency is working with FAO to highlight the importance of food systems through the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transitions Initiative (FAST), a global agriculture initiative built on tangible deliverables with a strong focus on governance. FAO is also part of the launch of the initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN), and the 50 by 2050 Initiative led by Egypt to recycle 50 percent of Africa’s waste by 2050.

Asked on the role of the private sector, Mr. Elwaer said that he is convinced that mobilizing the capacities and resources of the private sector is essential for achieving the SDGs in Africa and the Arab Region.  Mr. Elwaer also stressed on the need for an appropriate policy incentive mechanism to orient the private sector towards greater sustainability.