Food and agriculture high on agenda as UN forum reviews progress, plans to achieve SDGs

10/07/2017

Food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture and rural development are expected to feature prominently in the Ministerial Declaration to be adopted by Member States at the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the annual review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking place in New York between 10 and 19 July.

Under the theme "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world", HLPF 2017 will focus on SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14 as well as 17, the one goal that will be reviewed annually.

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

The HLPF’s Ministerial Declaration is the culmination of an extensive review process that includes inputs from 44 countries presenting National Voluntary Reviews, regional forums on sustainable development, the functional commissions of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and other intergovernmental bodies and forums, an annual SDGs progress report by the UN Secretary-General, the ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum and the multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation.

The HLPF aims to provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for strengthening SDGs implementation, through the sharing of experiences, including success stories, challenges and lessons learned. Bringing together all sectors of society, including governments, civil society, the business sector, major groups and other stakeholders, the HLPF strives to promote accountability, exchange of best practices and international cooperation.

Volunteer Countries for HLPF 2017

Afghanistan, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Uruguay, Zimbabwe.

FAO at HLPF

Divided into technical (10-14 July) and ministerial (17-19 July) segments, the HLPF will feature some 100 side events alongside plenary sessions.

Led by Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General, Climate and Natural Resources, and Carla Mucavi, Director of FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations, FAO will play a significant role addressing the general debate and participating as a panellist in the Thematic review: Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world – taking forward the SAMOA Pathway on 12 July, while co-hosting and participating in a number of events including on SDG2 and Rebuilding fisheries.

With several SDGs relevant to its mandate under review in 2017 (SDGs 1, 2, 14), FAO, in close collaboration with Rome-based Agencies the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), has been prominent in providing technical support to countries in the lead up to the HLPF.

On 12-13 June, more than 100 experts from 40 countries, representing Member States, farmer organizations, cooperatives, civil society, social movements, NGOs, private sector, academia, the CGIAR system, UN system, and other regional and international organizations, met in New York for an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Progress in Achieving SDG2, co-organized by UNDESA, FAO, and WFP (see key messages here).

The EGM highlighted the critical interdependence of poverty and hunger and the need to address these issues by transforming political commitment into action through comprehensive, nationally driven and country-specific policies and programmes, supported by strengthened legal frameworks and inclusive governance mechanisms.

A call was made to transform our food systems through a holistic approach, from production to consumption, so that they are more sustainable, inclusive and resilient to climate change and support the production, access and consumption of safe and nutritious food.

Emphasis was also placed on recognizing the role played by the rural poor, including in many cases subsistence and family farmers and indigenous populations that make up nearly 80 percent of the extreme poor in the world, who are not only beneficiaries of different kinds of support but also agents of change.

Coming into force in January 2016, the SDGs, including 17 goals and 169 targets monitored by some 230 indicators, are a global plan to tackle poverty, hunger and achieve sustainable development.

LINKS

Follow the HLPF live webcast.

Full programme | PDF programme | PDF Side Events

All 44 voluntary national reviews

Inputs to the HLPF & background notes| documents

SDG Thematic reviews