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The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified development challenges across Europe and Central Asia, generating ever more demand for rapid, accessible and reliable data to guide decision-making. The evolving pandemic and associated economic crisis are impacting food security and jeopardizing countries’ progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Identifying and evaluating the multi-faceted impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the food security situation requires real-time, quality information that enables the measurement of changes in people’s access to food and an assessment of the underlying causes.See the full list of policy briefs related to COVID-19.

By analyzing agri-food value chains, policy makers and researchers are able to better understand how economic, social and environmental dimensions are intertwined. This is an important step, which allows for identification of areas for potential improvement along an agri-food value chain. EX-ACT Value Chain (EX-ACT VC) is derived from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) EX-Ante Carbon-balance Tool (EX-ACT). The tool is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology to account for GHG emissions of primary agricultural production, augmented with methodologies from peer reviewed literature to cover the remaining sectors and actors in [...]

This action sheet is part of a series of action sheets developed under the seven key priority areas of the FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery programme, the FAO umbrella programme designed to proactively and sustainably address the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic. Each action sheet includes a project proposal in support of countries most in need for which FAO is leveraging high-level political, financial and technical expertise. All action sheets are gathered on the Food Coalition web hub, where members of the Coalition - a multi-stakeholder global alliance for a unified global action in response to COVID-19 - can access the [...]

This study, the third of its type published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), adds further evidence that in mountain regions of developing countries, food insecurity, social isolation, environmental degradation, exposure to the risk of disasters and to the impacts of climate change, and limited access to basic services, especially in rural areas, are still prevalent and, under some circumstances, increasing. It also shows the technical challenges for producing more comprehensive and representative assessments based on scientific data, and providing a deeper understanding of the underlying factors of vulnerability of mountain people. Mountains cover 39 million [...]

As acute food insecurity levels appear to be reaching new highs globally, also as a result of the socio-economic fallout of measures imposed to contain the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this joint FAO-WFP report aims to raise an early warning on 20 countries and situations - called hotspots - that, starting from already significant levels of acute food insecurity in early 2020, are facing the risk of a further rapid deterioration over the next months. Through a forward-looking analysis on potential evolutions of food insecurity drivers, this report aims to inform urgent action to safeguard the most vulnerable [...]

This “microfinance for small-scale fisheries” brochure is one of the Blue Finance guidance notes, prepared under FAO's Blue Growth Initiative. Other brochures in the Blue Finance guidance notes series cover subjects such as insurance for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, blue bonds, blended finance and innovative investment approaches. The Blue Finance guidance notes aim to provide governmental, non-governmental, private and public stakeholders with information, resources and concrete pathways for obtaining finance to support blue growth transitions at local, national, regional and global scales.This brochure describes why microfinance is important for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture and gives insight in microfinance and how [...]

The United Nations estimates that $4 trillion a year are needed through 2030 to achieve the SDGs, compared to around $1.5 trillion currently being invested. Public finance does not have sufficient resources to fill this gap, while for developing nations, the private sector is responsible for around 90% of jobs, 60% of investments, most exports, 80% of government revenues and a growing share of essential services, inventions and innovations (World Bank 2019). Blended finance can be used effectively in a number of situations so as to involve in the private sector. Find more Blue Growth guidance notes here.

Impact investment is investing which seeks to generate a positive social and/or environmental benefit as well as a financial return. Investments could include companies, infrastructure, funds, land and non-profits. Impact investing can cover all asset classes, such as equities, fixed income, project finance, real estate and venture capital.While many impact investors cover some of these themes, it is notable that the majority do not focus on blue economy SDGs and fewer than a quarter look at Life Below Water. There is therefore a significant opportunity to tap into the $500bn of impact investment capital to leverage the blue economy.Aquaculture has [...]

This “aquaculture insurance for small-scale producers” brochure is one of the Blue Finance guidance notes, prepared under FAO's Blue Growth Initiative. Other brochures in the Blue Finance guidance notes series cover subjects such as micro-finance and insurance for small-scale fisheries, blue bonds, blended finance and innovative investment approaches. The Blue Finance guidance notes aim to provide governmental, non-governmental, private and public stakeholders with information, resources and concrete pathways for obtaining finance to support blue growth transitions at local, national, regional and global scales.This brochure describes why aquaculture insurance is important for the sustainable development and management of the sector. It [...]

Blue Bonds are a subset of the Green Bond Market, a $200 billion global market of environmental bonds that has been growing rapidly. Because they are part of this environmental market, compliance of the underlying projects with appropriate green bond standards is required. This is what sets them apart from ordinary or vanilla bonds. Broadly, these standards address 3 concerns of investors, beyond financial requirements: Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG). Find more Blue Growth guidance notes here.