UNGA 81 High-Level Side Event:Our Children Cannot Wait: Leadership for Child Survival and Nutrition Statement

His Majesty the King of Lesotho and FAO Special Ambassador for Nutrition,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Every child has an equal right to survive, grow, learn and reach their full potential.

Our children cannot wait. This is a moral declaration

The Call to Action makes it clear: child survival is one of the clearest measures of human dignity, equity and national progress.

For FAO, this agenda is inseparable from our mandate.

There can be no lasting progress in child survival without food security and access to healthy diets.

And there can be no food security and nutrition without efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

But the well-being of children depends on more than food and nutrition alone.

It depends on strong and connected systems—bringing together food, health, education and social protection, while addressing poverty and a changing climate.

These systems must also be able to withstand shocks. Climate variability, economic crises and conflict can quickly undermine food security and nutrition.

We therefore need agrifood systems that support smallholder farmers and rural communities, making healthy diets affordable, adaptable to changing conditions, and protecting the natural resources on which future generations depend.

At the same time, we must ensure that these efforts reach those who face the greatest barriers.

This includes children living in poverty, children with disabilities, and children affected by conflict, displacement or climate shocks.

Leaving no one behind means leaving no child behind.

This is particularly important in Africa, which continues to face a disproportionate burden of hunger and malnutrition, alongside deep socio-economic inequalities.

But we are also seeing important signs of progress. Our responsibility now is to protect that progress, build on it and accelerate action.

FAO's role is to support countries with solid data and evidence, provision of policy and technical assistance support, and mobilization of targeted investment and financing and closer partnerships with all relevant stakeholders

Our State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report provides countries and partners with evidence to understand where food insecurity and malnutrition persist, and what policy responses can make a difference.

We also support our member countries in transforming their agrifood systems so that they deliver on improved food security, and more nutritious food which is also produced sustainably and is accessible to those who need it most.

Our work on school fooding is one example.

Schools can connect nutrition, education, health and local agrifood systems.

Well-designed school feeding programmes can improve children's diets, while creating opportunities for local farmers and strengthening local economies.

FAO also supports countries to address inequalities through gender-responsive policies, programmes and investments aimed at empowering women and strengthening their access to resources, economic opportunities and leadership.

Our recent report on The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems in sub-Saharan Africa provides evidence and policy recommendations for closing existing gender gaps.

In 2026, FAO is facilitating the implementation and observance of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, using it to raise awareness, strengthen evidence and mobilize policies, investment and partnerships to empower women farmers and close gender gaps in agrifood systems.

Furthermore, through initiatives such as the FAO’s flagship Hand-in-Hand Initiative, FAO is currently working with 88 countries through a territorial approach to identify investment priorities and policy opportunities where hunger and poverty could be eradicated, and where there is return on investment to mobilize private sector partners and financial institutions to support a national agenda.

Your Majesty,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Call to Action before us asks for leadership, solidarity, financing and accountability.

FAO stands ready to contribute its technical expertise, in line with our mandate.

Let us align international cooperation behind African priorities.

Let us invest in predictive power, in anticipatory action and in building resilience to avoid food crisis.

And let us ensure that children, particularly the most vulnerable, are given the priority they deserve.

Our children cannot wait!

Thank you.