The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), co-leading the Food Security Sector, mark World Food Day by celebrating the strong leadership and crucial contribution of the Government of Myanmar toward achieving zero hunger nationwide, which is the theme of this year aligned with the UN Global Goal 2.

Twenty-six percent of the population or more than 13 million people live below the poverty line in Myanmar, and close to three million people are considered food poor, spending a high percentage of their limited income on food with an unbalanced diet that does not meet all their consumption needs. One in three children is chronically malnourished, impacting their physical and mental development for a lifetime. These high figures are indeed overwhelming.

Nevertheless, significant progress has been achieved in fighting undernutrition in Myanmar thanks to Government's efforts supported by FAO, WFP and other partners. In 2014, the Government of Myanmar joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) global movement and later the Zero Hunger Challenge, launched globally by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and outlining a vision for a world in which no child is stunted, each person has access to adequate, nutritious food, where food systems are sustainable, smallholder productivity and income increase and no food is wasted.

In 2015, Myanmar has already welcomed the Renewed Efforts against Child Hunger (REACH) facilitation support. Under the SUN, Zero Hunger Challenge and REACH framework, the Government of Myanmar together with other shareholders has joined efforts to zeroing hunger and strengthening food and nutrition security governance in the country. As a result, a new National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan for Food and Nutrition security (2016-2026) as a new platform for coordination of multi-sectoral interventions in country chaired by the President of Myanmar with representatives from FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO has been developed.

In 2015, FAO and WFP's support to the Government has not been limited to technical expertise only. Most recently, the devastating floods in Myanmar's 12 states/regions have affected more than 1.7 million people, resulting in massive loss of livelihoods. Floods have destroyed more than one million acres of farmland and spoilt harvest. Damage to crops and arable land will as well as loss of livestock significantly undermine the agricultural production, affecting the market and further exacerbating the food security situation.

Following Government’s request for assistance, WFP was the first humanitarian actor on the ground to respond to the floods and has managed to reach more than 455,000 vulnerable and food-secure people in need of immediate food assistance, successfully completing the initial phase of the emergency response. From November 2015 onwards, FAO and WFP are planning to jointly phase in early recovery activities to rehabilitate livelihoods for the flood-affected populations. While WFP will continue assistance for flood-affected communities through relief activities as well as cash- and food- for-assets programmes and nutrition interventions, FAO will facilitate access to seeds, tools and agricultural inputs and help with restocking domestic animals and fish/shrimps.

On this day of action against hunger, FAO and WFP reassure their commitment to continuous support for the Government in achieving zero hunger in Myanmar in our lifetime.