Members of the European Parliament launch the Parliamentary Alliance on the Fight Against Hunger
Brussels, European Parliament, 26 April 2016.- In a meeting held at the European Parliament (EP), Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from different Parliamentary Committees, Political groups and representing various Member States launched the European Parliamentary Alliance on the Fight Against Hunger, an informal working group made up of MEPs working towards to goal of making agriculture more sustainable and on issues relating to food and nutrition security.
MEP Paolo de Castro, who was endorsed and appointed by Members as the Coordinator for the Alliance, underlined in his introductory remarks the importance of the fight against hunger and the need for Parliamentarians to push the European institutions and stakeholders to keep the issue of food and nutrition security high on the political agenda.
Mustapha Sinaceur, Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium highlighted in his speech the “unacceptable high number of people which suffer from hunger and malnutrition on a global scale. Recent figures from 2016, show that 793 million people are suffering from hunger.”
Mr. Sinaceur emphasized how the Parliamentary Alliance on the Fight Against Hunger can “play a central role in eradicating hunger and malnutrition and making agriculture more sustainable by organising key public events with high-level speakers and experts which can share their knowledge, research and experiences. The Alliance will be an important tool in terms of promoting a network of information, resources and contacts as well as fostering legislative advances in the field of food and nutrition security.
Marcela Villareal, FAO’s Director for Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development Division (OPC) underlined the importance of the fight against malnutrition both for the European Union and its Member States. She highlighted the ‘double calling’ of malnutrition where 800 million people go hungry even though enough food is produced, while obesity continues to grow and bad diets have become the top cause for ill health. She also pointed to the 1.6 billion tons of food (1/3 of all food produced) that are lost or wasted per year. “In general, malnutrition is one of the areas best addressed by Parliamentarians, as political will is the main ingredient. Investing in nutrition is investing in the future,” she added.
Deputy Guadalupe Valdez, National Coordinator of the Frente Parlamentario Contra el Hambre de América Latina y el Caribe (PFH) Chapter Dominican Republic stressed that the “fight against malnutrition is, first and foremost, a political issue and not merely a technical problem or a problem of resources”.The Frente Parlamentario Contra el Hambre de América Latina y el Caribe is a policy forum within the national, sub-national and regional congresses with different degrees of institutionalisation, made up of legislators of various groups (pluralistic character) and members of different committees (multi-sectoral approach). The Frente Parlamentario Contra el Hambre de América Latina y el Caribeis committed to the fight against hunger and of the need to turn food and nutrition security into a strategic matter of legislative activity, promoting the creation of institutional frameworks that are favourable to the development of the full realisation of the Right to Food in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Reactions from Members of the Parliamentary Alliance on the Fight Against Hunger
MEP Maired McGuinness echoed her support for the endeavour as “we have all met separately, but I hope that collectively, we can make a difference”.
MEP Maria Heubuch underlined her particular interest in nutrition policy. She outlined the need for further political will to advance in the fight against hunger. “Agriculture is crucial not only as a basis for food production, but also for the beginning of economic development in a region.” She also called for policy coherence, including further discussion on trade, environment and climate change in order to better tackle hunger.
MEP Davor Stier referred to the interconnections amongst the SDGs. “Furthermore, the fight against hunger includes an element of justice given that it is not a mere question of having enough food, but of how it is distributed. Zero Hunger constitutes the unfinished business of MDGs.”
MEP Angélique Delahaye expressed the urgent need to address food loss and waste, highlighting her own experience and making available her network to the disposal of the Alliance.
MEP Stefan Eck expressed his dismay to the high amount of food waste, while at the same time he noted that every few seconds a child is dying of hunger. “Hunger is the negative result of capitalism. A holistic view is needed.”
MEP Elly Schlein pointed to the need of tackling all of the SDGs together. “Furthermore, inequalities need to be addressed in the fight against hunger. Fighting against hunger also means including other policies areas, like fiscal policies or migration. This Alliance can therefore constitute an example of pushing together in the same direction.”
MEP Paavo Väyrynen underlined that sustainable agriculture is the basis for fighting against hunger and the role family farming can play in this regard.