Check against delivery

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,  Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Good afternoon, and welcome to the official launch of the 17th Report of the HLPE - FSN–the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the CFS. 

Welcome also those of you (more than 1000 registered) who are joining remotely through the video-link

Today, I am happy to share this podium with Prof Bernard Lehmann, Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the HLPE-FSN;

as well as FAO Chief Scientist, Ismahane Elouafi;

and Mr Carlo Cafiero, the Team Leader who, along with a group of other experts, developed this excellent report.  

I am delighted that you led the drafting of this report.

Though not here in person, allow me to also thank HLPE Steering Committee Member Mr Jose Maria Sumpsi, who took the lead within the Steering Committee on this report. 

Thank you all for being with us today!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are seeing shocking levels of food insecurity worldwide.

Despite hopes that the world would emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and food security would begin to improve, world hunger rose further in 2021 and is clearly in a poor state in 2022.

Drivers include a multitude of armed conflicts, climate variability and extremes - such as those that we are seeing in Pakistan and Madagascar-, and economic slowdowns and downturns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest SOFI report estimates as many as 828 million people around the world faced hunger in 2021, while the war in Ukraine is further affecting millions of people and wreaking havoc on world food, feed and energy markets..

In this context, both the theme and the timing of this report are critical.

It is very clear that data systems and digital technologies are powerful tools, which if deployed properly, can play an enormous role in assisting policy makers with short, medium, and longer-term decision-making for achieving sustainable food systems.  

Without such tools, and systems in place to link data collection to decision-making by policy makers, optimal decision-making will continue to fall short.  Governments need – now, more than ever –accurate and timely data to guide policies aimed at recovering from the pandemic, and from the negative impacts of the food, energy and financial crises resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

National governments and the international community need more accurate and timely data about markets, weather, soil, incomes, and other issues , to achieve the SDGs and drive progress towards achieving the human right to adequate food.

The 17^th report of the HLPE-FSN will support our efforts towards global food and nutrition security, and will contribute to the transformation of food systems that deliver on all three dimensions of sustainability.

I hope you will agree with me that the importance of sound and timely data should be neither controversial nor debatable.

Instead, we should focus on how best to strengthen the collection, analysis, distribution and use of data for advancing food security and nutrition, while advancing the human right to food.

Let me finish by congratulating the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition for this report. Like the previous reports,

I am certain, that this 17^th report will soon become another global public good in the hands of CFS members and stakeholders who are committed, like us, to advance global food security and nutrition.

Thank you!