The One UN Programme 2018-2021, jointly developed by UN partners in close consultation with Government under the One UN initiative was recently signed by Economic Affairs Division, of the Ministry of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, Government of Pakistan. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under One UN is helping achieve targets under SDGs related to zero hunger (SDG 2), gender equality (SDG 5), water (SDG 6), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG14) and life on land in Pakistan (SDG15), in close alignment to the Government priorities.
Under SDG2, Zero hunger aims to end hunger and ensure access for all to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. Achievement of this target (2.1) by the year 2030 requires countries to look after the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, women and children.
There are two indicators under this target, the proper computation of which is crucial for obtaining reliable data that can be used to ensure that no one is left behind: Prevalence of undernourishment and Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES).
Monitoring these indicators represents an immense challenge for countries with regards to their current data availability, statistical capacity and resource availability.
According to the resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 2017 on Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Goal indicators should be disaggregated, where relevant, by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability and geographic location, or other characteristics, in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.
In the context of this resolution, measurement or estimation of food insecurity in Pakistan has been a matter of debate recently. Different methodologies have been applied in the past to estimate food insecurity in Pakistan.
Realizing the need to address challenges in collecting and analyzing available data and to be able to monitor the status on food security and SDG indicators related to food and agriculture sector, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the national statistical organization, requested FAO to provide support in building capacity of its officials in computing the SDG 2 indicators.
FAO in Pakistan in response conducted a training workshop to build capacity of national institutions where data analysts from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, (PBS), Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MNNFSR), Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, National Agriculture Research Centre, Provincial/Regional Bureaus of Statistics, academia and UN organizations to compute SDG 2 indicators related to food security. FAO experts on food security and statistics are facilitating the workshop.
 
Ms Mina’ Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative in Pakistan welcoming participants said: “Although efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition have advanced significantly in Pakistan yet achievement of the targets set under SDG 2, Zero Hunger requires continued and focused efforts which include responsible investments in agriculture, including government spending and aid in addition to accurate measurement of food insecurity and prevalence of hunger in the country. It is an urgent requirement for effective policy making to ensure integrated decision making.”
With the availability of standard indicators and methodologies to measure food insecurity, the training workshop would also improve the understanding of national institutions on accurate measurement of food insecurity.
This training will also enable institutions to take into account the social and cultural linkages while assisting decision makers in chalking out plans of action.
FAO takes the lead in global monitoring of the 20 SDG indicators and has a long collaborative experience with its member countries including Pakistan in the field of food and agricultural statistics and has built up an extensive unique statistical database ranging from country food production to food security information.

Participants were awarded certificates at the end of the workshop.