2020 Africa Dialogue Series

2020 Africa Dialogue Series

COVID-19 and silencing the guns in Africa: challenges and opportunities

Session 4: building sustainable peace and resilience

Chimimba David Phiri, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for and FAO Representative to the African Union and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The latest Global Report on Food Crisis reveals that 135 million people were facing Crisis level or worse of acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) in 2019, the highest figure measured by the report in its four years of existence.

In 2018, Africa remained the continent most affected by food crises, accounting for 54 percent of the total number of people affected globally , or just under 70 million people . Furthermore, globally around 182.6 million people were classified in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) conditions across 47 countries, with 121 million, or 71 percent of them, concentrated in 32 countries in Africa.
Conflict and insecurity continued to be the main driver of acute food insecurity. Conflicts have reduced communities’ resilience, disrupted food chains, led to loss of lives, increased dependency on aid, and forced many people to move to safer locations, abandoning their livelihoods and social ties.

But weather-related and economic shocks are also significant contributors to acute food insecurity and most people are hit by a combination of these factors. In 2019 Africa also had the largest numbers of acutely food-insecure people in countries badly affected by weather events, particularly in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa.
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the Horn of Africa, for example, is being affected by the most devastating locust invasion in decades, the continuing armed conflict in Somalia with regional implications, and flooding especially in Kenya and Somalia but that, with the Lake Victoria rising faster than ever since 1964 we can expect flooding in more countries in Eastern Africa.
In the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, insecurity led to widespread displacement of populations, destruction or closure of basic social services, and disruption of productive activities, markets and trade flows. Burkina Faso is one of the world’s fastest growing crises with the daily lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of civilians affected by insecurity and violence mainly in central and northern regions.

And now, the COVID-19 pandemic which worsens the situation in these regions and Africa as a whole, even if it is too early to determine precisely to what extent. But we do know that, globally, there are almost 183 million people one shock away from an acute hunger crisis situation – around 130 million of them in Africa. COVID-19 can push them over the brink. We cannot allow that to happen.

We also know that, by reducing hunger, by supporting vibrant rural economies, by sustaining people’s livelihoods and making them more resilient, by helping people better manage resources like land and water, and by supporting inclusive local institutions, we can make essential contributions to sustaining peace.

In these circumstances FAO considers it critical to:
• First, silence the guns. Conflict is the main driver for acute hunger. The close connection between conflict and hunger was also unanimously recognised by the Security Council in Resolution 2417.
• Second, COVID-19 health response is critical. But so is the response to the growing food insecurity situation. And as the SG has emphasized, the responses need to address the health emergency, humanitarian needs and socioeconomic impacts simultaneously.
• Third, food security must be a priority and we should prioritize agriculture as an essential sector, with secure food corridors and uninterrupted supplies for farmers and access to food by consumers. It is also important to ensure the free movement of pastoralists. On 16 April, FAO and African Union held an African Ministers for Agriculture meeting to address this issue.
• And, finally, international cooperation. Resource partners continue to be generous in their responses but needs continue to outpace resources. While we work to find long term and political solutions, we must continue to mobilize resources to protect livelihoods –this is a critical investment and without it we risk much greater crises ahead of us.

Thank you for your attention.