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In recent years, various factors have diverted the world off the path to eradicating hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this trend. Latin America and the Caribbean is no exception. This edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2021: Statistics and Trends reveals a bleak scenario for the future. In 2020, 59.7 million people in the region suffered from hunger, and between 2019 and 2020 the prevalence of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 2 percentage points. Much of this can be explained by [...]

Africa is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 targets to end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round, and to end all forms of malnutrition. The most recent estimates show that 281.6 million people on the continent, over one-fifth of the population, faced hunger in 2020, which is 46.3 million more than in 2019. This deterioration continues a trend that started in 2014, after a prolonged period of improving food security. In addition to hunger, millions of Africans suffer from widespread micronutrient deficiencies, while overweight and [...]

Parliamentarians from around 50 countries and nine parliamentary networks gathered in the context of the Virtual Parliamentary Dialogues on Food Security and Nutrition in the time of COVID-19. From March to September 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), pledged to put food security and nutrition at the forefront of national, regional, and global agendas and to take proactive steps to address the consequences of the pandemic. In their legislative, budgetary, and oversight responsibilities, parliaments are strategically positioned to strengthen food security, nutrition, and inclusion [...]

The  Food  and  Agriculture  Organization  of  the  United  Nations  (FAO)  Strategic  Framework  2022-31  outlines  the organization’s  commitment  to  MORE  efficient,  inclusive,  resilient  and  sustainable  agri-food  systems  for  better  production,  better  nutrition,  a  better  environment,  and  a  better  life,  leaving  no  one  behind.  These  four  betters are the aspirations of FAO, and the organizing principles of our work for the coming decade. They demonstrate a  commitment to better nutrition, while linking sustainable production and decent livelihoods with the urgent need  to protect and regenerate our environment.

The 105 recommendations of the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSyN) are categorized under 7 focus areas and several thematic sub-sections. You can browse the recommendations from the "Focus Areas" section, by navigating the focus and sub-focus areas' menu, or by doing a free search by key terms.

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Since 2020, the EU, FAO and CIRAD have entered into a partnership with governments and food systems actors to initiate a large-scale assessment and consultation on food systems in more than 50 countries, as a first step towards transforming them. The assessments and consultations will gather evidence and knowledge in support of the transition to more sustainable food systems, centered on four core goals, namely food security, nutrition and health, inclusive economic growth, territorial development and equity, and the environment. Country teams led by the government and supported by EU Delegations, FAO Representations and other development partners are driving the [...]

Fish and other aquatic foods are often also the most affordable sources of animal protein. However, small-scale fishers, fish workers and their communities still face constraints in effectively participating in decision-making processes that shape their lives, therefore remaining marginalized, and their contribution to food security and nutrition remains under-recognized. The following two international instruments can help small-scale fisheries actors overcome these challenges: CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSN) and Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).

The adoption of Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (Right to Food Guidelines) by in 2004 and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) in 2014 were two major achievements in the effort to ensure food security and nutrition.This handbook has been developed to support the joint implementation of the SSF Guidelines and the Right to Food Guidelines through an integrated approach and to increase policy coherence and uptake. The document provides an overview [...]