Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition Statistics: Towards a new domain under the umbrella of the Statistical Commission

The event “Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition Statistics: Towards a new domain under the umbrella of the Statistical Commission”, organized on the sidelines of the 55th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, took place on Wednesday, 28 February 2024, at the UNICEF House, in New York.

The event gathered representatives from National Statistical Offices (NSOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and leading international organization experts committed to implementing the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) data policy recommendations. A diverse panel of experts and country representatives convened to share insights and seek commitments to support the CFS recommendations, aiming to strengthen food security and nutrition (FSN) data systems globally and nationally. A primary focus was on advocating for the Commission's formal recognition of food security and nutrition statistics as a distinct statistical domain. This goal was successfully achieved, laying a stronger foundation for FAO, UNICEF, WHO, and their partners to enhance their efforts in producing and utilizing harmonized data. 

The side event also highlighted an example of such collaboration through a presentation on the new Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative (HDMI), a joint effort by UNICEF, FAO, and WHO. This initiative aims to equip national and global decision-makers and stakeholders with the tools to monitor and foster healthy diets that are beneficial for both people and the planet. Furthermore, the event acted as a platform for advocating the addition of a new diet indicator to the existing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 framework. 

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Presentations

• Opening statement - Ambassador Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, Chairperson, Committee on World Food Security
• Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition Statistics: Operationalizing Policy recommendations in the Statistical Commission - Valerie Bizier, Senior Statistician, Data Governance and Quality Assurance, FAO Statistics Division
• Advancing global monitoring of Healthy Diets: the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative (HDMI) - Chika Hayashi, Senior Advisor, Monitoring and Statistics; Chief, Nutrition Data Unit, UNICEF