A path to 2030 Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, stability, security
Ankara - On the occasion of World Food Day 2020, FAO Turkey organized a virtual event moderated by Ahu Orakçıoğlu to share the results of the new report 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World: Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets (SOFI 2020).
Prepared jointly by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, this annual flagship report aims to inform states and the public of progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It provides in-depth analysis of the key challenges to achieving these goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
SOFI 2020 presents the most recent and authoritative estimates of the extent of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in the world, tracking the performance of countries to assess whether zero hunger is still an achievable target in 2030.
The event kicked off with a video presenting the SOFI 2020 followed by a speech given by Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey. In his opening address, Gutu emphasized the fact that the number of people affected by hunger globally has risen gradually since 2014. Based on the report’s findings, he pointed out that nearly one-quarter of the world’s population lacked regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food in 2019. Underlining the need for healthy diets for all, Gutu further highlighted the importance of sustainability for maximizing the positive impacts of diets for health and the environment. Gutu also pointed out that malnutrition not only hampers our children’s development but also it is among the reasons of adult obesity which is on the rise.
Gutu’s speech was followed by a video message from António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. Keigo Obara, Food Security Officer of FAO, then set the scene presenting stunning statistics from the SOFI 2020 report. Reminding the hidden costs of current food patterns, Obara pointed out that if the recent trends persist, the distribution of hunger in the world would change substantially in a way that makes Africa the region with the highest number of undernourished in 2030. Obara emphasized that peace, stability and security have utmost importance in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Obara also added that while child malnutrition in Turkey reduced sharply, adult obesity is on the rise.
The event continued with a panel session where Ayşegül Selışık (Assistant FAO Representative in Turkey), Seher Alacacı Arıner (UNDP Assistant Resident Representative- Programme) and Taylan Kıymaz (IFAD Country Programme Officer) discussed the impacts of COVID-19 on the agri-food sector and rural livelihoods in Turkey, and informed the audience about the ways in which their respective organizations have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Selışık explained that Turkey was prepared for the COVID-19 in terms of food supply chains. At the initial stage of the pandemic, Selışık stated, despite the fact that production side was negatively affected due to the measures taken, problems related to production were resolved thanks to the implementation of correct policies. Selışık emphasized the importance of providing knowledge and financial support with smallholders given the fact that %80 of the population that feeds us living in rural areas. In this regard, Selışık underlined the necessity of cooperatives or alike organizations in agriculture that help farmers to reach markets and get required technical information.
Seher Alacacı Arıner framed the COVID-19 as one of the biggest threats that humanity is exposed to since the World War II. Alacacı mentioned a research, which UNDP Turkey conducted to understand the economic impacts of the COVID-19. Based on the research’s findings, Alacacı stated that pandemic affected small-scale companies in Turkey more than it did big companies. Besides, as Alacacı mentioned, the COVID-19 hit women in employment according to the research indicated.
Taylan Kıymaz shed light on the global and regional impacts of the COVID-19. He expressed that pandemic affected Sub-Saharan Africa more profound than it did for other regions of the world. Touching upon the impacts of COVID-19 on agriculture in Turkey, Kıymaz brought problems in labour supply to the fore and explained how IFAD overcome this problem. Kıymaz also underlined the importance and necessity of collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Health in Turkey to develop more effective and need specific plans to alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 in agriculture sector in Turkey.
The event ended with a question and answer session in which the panelists answered various questions especially about the SOFI2020 and their agencies’ responses to the COVID-19.
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