HLPF 2019: ECOSOC High-Level Segment

 

2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
ECOSOC High-Level Segment
General Debate

Carla Mucavi, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York

 

 

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Over the last two weeks, we have heard in these halls of the United Nations, a narrative of a world that is rapidly changing around us. The threats of climate change, conflict, and growing inequalities challenge us to act boldly and to work together to solve the problems of our time.

 

Just this Monday, together with WFP, IFAD, UNICEF and WHO, FAO released the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).

 

The report revealed that the number of hunger people in the world is estimated at 820 million and that 2 billion people are moderately or severely food insecure. It is the third year in a row that hunger is rising, which threatens our ability to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

 

SOFI also shows that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is on the rise, contributing to 4 million deaths globally. In fact, there are more overweight and obese people in the world today than undernourished people. Small Island Developing States are among those facing higher obesity rates.

 

The message is clear: ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 requires scaled-up and bolder action.

 

As recognized in the Global Sustainable Development Report, food systems and nutrition have a huge potential to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda is. We must seize that opportunity and transform food and agriculture systems so they are sustainable, resilient and nutrition-sensitive and ensure that people around the world have year-wide access to healthy and affordable diets that is good for their health and does not overburden our planet and its natural resources.

 

We must also invest in rural transformation and the potential of rural populations – especially family farmers, rural women, rural youth and indigenous peoples. They are the locus of food production, caretakers of the environment, and central in moving towards more sustainable food systems, but are often vulnerable themselves – with greater levels of poverty and less access to services such as health, education, water and sanitation and energy.

 

Investing in rural people means empowering them to become agents of change by a combination of actions that include strengthening the resilience of their rural livelihoods to shocks and stresses, while addressing conflicts and climate variability; promoting access to land, water, markets, financial services, science, technology and innovation; reducing inequality; and scaling-up social protection.

 

The UN Decade of Family Farming that has begun this year is a tool we should use to reach the reinforcing goals of strengthening family farming and accelerating progress towards sustainable development.

 

Empowering rural people and shifting towards more sustainable food systems are necessary to fulfil the promise of reaching those furthest behind, to deliver best results in the fight against poverty and hunger and to achieve sustainable development.

 

Thank you.