Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly
6 November 2018
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) & on The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA)
Thank you madame Modator;
Let me first acknowledge my fellow Panelists,
Your Excellency, Lorena Aguilar Revelo, Vice-Minister of Foreign Relations & Worship of Costa Rica,
Your Excellency, Maria Angela Zappia, Chair of the Group of Friends of Food Security, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN,
Your Excellency, Dian Triansyah Djani, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN,
Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Mr. David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP),
Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
I would like to commend our co-hosts, along with the Group of Friends of Food Security for their leadership on this very important subject. I would also like to recognize the work and commitment of WFP, IFAD, FAO, UNICEF and WHO.
The United Nations System and multilateralism is key to support millions of people around the world against hunger. We still need to strengthen synergies and efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 “zero hunger”.
Issues of food security and nutrition touch on every single person of the planet and these reports that we are launching today provide a clear indication of how we are doing on these important subjects, and on SDG 2.
Colleagues, allow me to briefly reflect on these reports.
On ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the Worldth the SOFI report)’, the findings are, unfortunately, not promising.
In this third year of implementation of Agenda 2030, we are actually seeing a reversal of gains previously made towards eradicating world hunger.
The absolute number of people facing chronic food deprivation has increased from 804 million in 2016 to nearly 821 million in 2017. This is similar to the level we had in 2007, in the midst of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
There are many reasons for this. Climate change is changing agricultural landscapes, impacting smallholder farmers, and conflicts are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.
While the dynamics behind hunger are complex, to see world hunger on the rise for the third year in a row is completely unacceptable. There is a clear need for course correction.
We live in a world of plenty, and yet women, men and children are perishing.
On the other hand, we are also witnessing increasing rates of obesity in all regions of the world. Unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles are creating a population that is beset with diabetes, heart conditions and numerous other ailments.
Unhealthy diets are responsible for 6 out of 10 risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Heads of State and Government declared their commitment to scale up efforts to promote healthy diets and lifestyles across the hall from where we are today. The third High-Level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases was a clear moment for change. It is on us all, now, to act, and to act decisively. On both hunger and obesity, we must do more and better.
Funding for food security needs to be scaled up to support those who are in need. For those countries facing an over-abundance in consumption, an emphasis on nutritional education is thus crucial.
On the second report, the Status of Food and Agriculture (SOFA), we see valuable evidence on migration patterns, and how these are linked to economic transformation.
On the one hand, support must be provided to countries of origin to bolster climate adaptation, including the introduction of drought resistant seeds and new crop varieties.
At the same time, the economic and agricultural opportunities presented by migrants should be recognized, as they bring with them new skills, knowledge and innovations.
All of this comes back to the need for a multilateral approach. We must strengthen cooperation and coordination between countries of origin, transit and destination to unlock the potential of migrants.
This is particularly timely as we head towards the Marrakech Conference to adopt the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
While the dynamics behind hunger are complex, to see world hunger on the rise for the third year in a row is completely unacceptable. There is a clear need for course correction.
We live in a world of plenty, and yet women, men and children are perishing.
On the other hand, we are also witnessing increasing rates of obesity in all regions of the world. Unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles are creating a population that is beset with diabetes, heart conditions and numerous other ailments.
Excellencies, dear friends, both reports offer useful insights to guide our work in shaping public policy. They indicate that sustainable agriculture and food systems are key to food security and sufficient nutrition; to addressing overweight and obesity trends; to reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases; and to sustainably manage and use natural resources.
The responsibility is on us to act, and to push forward with measures that can improve food systems.
This includes making agriculture more resilient and sustainable; supporting family farming; creating decent jobs in rural areas; and strengthening social protection.
The benefits of these interventions clearly support our broader sustainable development goals. Moreover, these initiatives will address inequalities that exist between rural and urban populations, and between women and men.
Colleagues, in closing, I wish to reiterate once again that addressing such planet-wide challenges requires a multilateral approach. It requires a strong multilateralism.
No other issue is as universal as the right and necessity to eat. Denying people this very basic human right is against the Charter of the United Nations: it is against our very values.
I thus call on all Member States and relevant stakeholders to study, carefully, these reports and work collectively towards positive, multilateral interventions that put people first.
I wish you a very, very productive discussion.
Thank you.
