FAO's participation in the 2019 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) was rich and diverse.

24-26 June - During the three days of the ECOSOC HAS, FAO proposed an exhibit presenting some of the very concrete ways in which it provides livelihood-saving and food-producing support to populations affected by disasters and other crises. Visitors were able to witness firsthand how it is possible to help affected populations produce nutritious food in as little as 3 months. The exhibit displayed some of the agricultural inputs provided to crisis-affected populations, as well as types of food produced and various stages of production.

24 June - FAO co-sponsored an event on Anticipatory humanitarian action with the Permanent Missions of Germany, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, as well as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The side event, chaired by Dr. Thomas Zahneisen, Director for Humanitarian Assistance, German Federal Foreign Office, focused on Managing crisis and risks through effective financing and featured presentations by IFRC, WFP, FAO and the Overseas Deelopment Institute (ODI). Presentations were followed by a thematic panel discussion moderated by Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary General for Partnerships, IFRC with the participation of FAO, OCHA, and WFP. Rodrigue Vinet, Senior Advisor on humanitarian issues in the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, participated in the panel discussion and presented FAO’s work on Early Warning Early Action (EWEA), including the Organization’s latest EWEA report on food security and agriculture.

25 June - FAO co-sponsored an event on Conflict and Hunger with the Permanent Representations of Ireland and The Netherlands, as well as the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR), Concern, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and WFP.

The event focused on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2417, with the following panelists: Ambassador Nathalie Olijslager, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, Dr Caitriona Dowd, Humanitarian Policy Adviser, Concern Worldwide, Mr Abdul Bashir Khaliqi, Chair of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR), and Dr James Munn, Director of Humanitarian Policy & Representative to Geneva, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The discussion was moderated by Ambassador Michael Gaffey, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations and other organizations.

During her intervention, Dr Dowd, emphasized: "… we will not be successful if we tackle political problems with technical solutions alone… Resolution 2417 needs political champions”. She called on member states to “distinguished themselves as leaders in Resolution 2417” by protecting civilians, promoting robust reporting translated into early action. Ambassador Olijslager said that “the best defense against hunger and malnutrition is to build more resilient food systems and safeguard agricultural based-livelihoods”. She undelined that The Netherlands, is partnering with FAO to launch a four-year program which aims to bring together humanitarian-development-peace actors in conflict regions of the Horn of Africa.

Following the panelists’ interventions, FAO and WFP contributed statements from the floor.

Rodrigue Vinet of FAO reminded the participants that UNSC Resolution 2417 is "critical, as it makes it clear that all parties to conflicts are responsible for ensuring they do not target civilians and objects necessary for food production and distribution, or objects indispensable for their survival, including crops, livestock and water sources".  He defined FAO's contribution to the implementation of the Resolution along four broad areas of work: 1) Raising awareness, ensuring political buy-in, and coordinating action on the ground; 2) Providing evidence-based information and analysis; 3) Briefing the UNSC members, as requested by the resolution; and 4) Strengthening farmers and vulnerable rural populations’ socio-economic resilience. Brian Lander from WFP pointed out that “we only see famine now when we’re not able to reach food-insecure people due to insecurity, or when and where our access is deliberately blocked. While we can push back famine, the threat is linked to persistent conflict. Blocking of aid by any group translates into suffering and death and using food as a weapon of war is unacceptable”.

24-26 June - FAO made several other contributions to the various 2019 ECOSOC HAS side events and plenary discussions.

- FAO presented on several occasions the soon to be released study on Financing the Nexus: Gaps and opportunities from a field perspective.

- FAO Liaison Office in Geneva Director, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett spoke on climate change issues during the 25 June High-Level Panel on Preparing for the future in the face of climate change and weather-related disasters: strengthening preparedness and humanitarian response and collaborating to build resilience and address escalating risks and challenges. MS Rodrigues-Birkett advocated for more resource allocations to prevention. FAO analysis in 2019 indicated that between 2004 and 2016, about 92% of the total agriculture-related official assistance for Disaster Risk Management (including humanitarian) in developing and in-transition countries was spent on emergency response. Only 2% was dedicated to prevention.