SG/SM/21297
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series High-Level Policy Dialogue “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent”, held right now:
I’m blissful to affix you for this Dialogue Series, and commend your concentrate on diet and meals safety on the African continent.
For too lengthy, diet, meals safety, conflicts, local weather change, ecosystems and well being have been handled as separate points. But, these international challenges are deeply interconnected. Conflict creates starvation. The local weather disaster amplifies battle. Economic insecurity is heightened by the pandemic and by inequalities in assets allotted for restoration. These issues are systemic; and they’re getting worse.
Decades of progress on starvation are being reversed. After bettering steadily in all areas between 2000 and 2016, starvation has sharply elevated lately. Over 281 million Africans — 1 in 5 — had been undernourished in 2020. Sixty‑a million African youngsters are affected by stunting, which may influence their bodily and psychological well being all through their lives. As all the time, girls and ladies are probably the most affected. When meals is brief, they’re typically the final to eat; and the primary to be taken out of faculty and compelled into work or marriage.
Our humanitarian operations are doing their utmost to assist. Just final week, I introduced the discharge of $30 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to satisfy pressing meals safety and diet wants in Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, bringing the overall funding channelled by means of CERF within the Sahel to just about $95 million for the reason that begin of the yr. But, this can be a drop within the ocean.
Humanitarian help can not compete with the systemic drivers of starvation. External shocks are additional exacerbating the state of affairs. An uneven restoration from the pandemic has put many growing international locations getting ready to debt default. Inequality is gigantic in that regard. The battle in Ukraine has led to the very best meals costs on report. African international locations are amongst these most closely impacted — particularly when that is coupled with rising power payments and restricted entry to finance.
I convened the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, involving all United Nations companies and worldwide monetary establishments, to offer information and evaluation, and to suggest options. The group instantly really useful that every one meals export restrictions must be lifted; strategic reserves must be launched; and surpluses allotted to international locations in want.
It is evident that fixing this disaster additionally requires reintegrating Ukraine’s agricultural manufacturing and the meals and fertilizer manufacturing of the Russian Federation and Belarus into world markets — regardless of the battle. I’m persevering with to pursue efforts to search out frequent floor on this very important concern, for folks around the globe.
Building resilience additionally requires addressing the local weather disaster. African farmers are on the entrance strains of our warming planet, from rising temperatures to droughts and floods. Africa wants a large increase in technical and monetary assist, to adapt to the influence of the local weather emergency and supply renewable electrical energy throughout the continent. Fifty per cent of local weather finance have to be allotted to adaptation. And developed international locations should ship on their $100 billion local weather finance dedication to growing international locations. We are additionally advocating for instant motion from worldwide monetary establishments, in order that growing international locations, particularly in Africa, can spend money on a robust restoration from the pandemic, based mostly on renewable power.
Food methods join all these challenges. The United Nations Food Systems Summit final September showcased the ability of meals methods transformation. Many African Member States led the decision for elementary change, by means of inclusive transformation pathways, which goal to handle — concurrently — meals safety, diet, social safety, environmental conservation and resilience to shocks.
I welcome the launch by the African Union of 2022 because the Year of Nutrition — a pledge to behave on the robust commitments made on the Summit. Through nationwide, regional and international cooperation, we should construct on classes discovered and harness collective experience. Together, we should ship on these pathways. The United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub will assist international locations in implementing their transformation pathways, ending starvation and malnutrition, and selling sustainable agricultural practices.
The worldwide neighborhood should rise to the event. Scaling again assist at a time when demand is at an all-time excessive will not be an choice. Official growth help is extra mandatory than ever. I urge all international locations to exhibit solidarity, spend money on resilience and stop the present disaster from escalating additional.
During my latest journey to Senegal, Niger and Nigeria, I used to be impressed by the resilience and dedication of the folks I met. Women and younger folks particularly had been dedicated to lasting, sustainable options that allow them to dwell in peace with their neighbours and with nature. If we work collectively, if we put folks and planet earlier than revenue, we will remodel meals methods, ship on the Sustainable Development Goals and depart nobody behind. We can finish starvation and malnutrition by 2030.
The United Nations stands by your facet, each step of the way in which. I want you fruitful discussions. Thank you.
For info media. Not an official report.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/amid-global-spike-hunger-secretary-general-urges-transformative-action-end-malnutrition-promote-sustainable-agriculture-food-security-africa-dialogue