FAO Liaison Office in New York
04/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2024 13:10
Addressing Global Food Insecurity and Famine Risk: Reinforcing collective impact - Round Table Policy Dialogue
Addressing Global Food Insecurity and Famine Risk: Reinforcing collective impact - Round Table Policy Dialogue
Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, FAO
29/04/2024
Excellencies, Colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me start by thanking the Co-sponsors and our Global Network partners for making this important dialogue possible.
The Global Network is the right structure for these complicated times - with collaboration at its core - for joint analysis, responses and action to address global challenges.
I'm not sure how many more "wake-up calls" we need, but the trends highlighted in the Global Report of Food Crises 2024 should be more than enough to push us to real and even different responses and actions!
Record levels of acute food insecurity have grown more severe, and food crises are increasingly protracted.
The report confirms the enormity of the challenge of ending hunger by 2030 - of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Let me offer a brief recap of some of the its highlights…
In 2023, more than 280 million people in 59 countries/territories experienced hunger on a daily basis.
And, 36 of these countries/territories have been featured in the Global Report for the past eight years, meaning we are NOT making progress in moving people out of acute food insecurity conditions.
We also saw the highest ever number of people facing Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) levels of acute food insecurity, in part due to the sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip.
Last year, over 705 000 people in five countries - the Gaza Strip (Palestine), South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Mali - were in Catastrophe… almost double the figure of 2022.
The Gaza Strip is the most severe food crisis in our reporting history, representing around 80 percent of the total global population (576 600 people) estimated to be in Catastrophe in 2023.
And the situation has further deteriorated… in 2024, 1.1 million people - half of Gaza's population - are now in IPC Category 5 facing imminent famine.
At a global scale, we also have 36 million people in 39 countries/territories who experienced Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity, meaning they are at the brink… a crisis or shock away from Catastrophe.
I am also particularly concerned for the 292 million people in 40 countries/territories who are in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) levels of acute food insecurity.
This group, not often " visible", is at a breaking point…if they move into Crisis levels (IPC/CH Phase 3), it will mean increased humanitarian needs, higher costs of response, and greater challenges in restoring food security and livelihoods.
And, we've seen the difficulty of moving people out of acute food insecurity levels.
Sadly, the single most significant driver of acute food insecurity is man-made - it is conflict and violence.
This was the primary driver for the largest number of people in acute food insecurity.
The second most important driver was extreme weather events - we experienced the hottest year on record and increasing episodes of floods and droughts.
And, economic shocks were the third most important driver, due to the dependency on imported food and agricultural inputs and persisting macroeconomic challenges, including high prices and high debt levels.
It's unacceptable that food insecurity and malnutrition have become our "new normal".
As we look ahead to the upcoming high level processes taking place here in New York, including the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, the SDG 2 review at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and, of course, the Summit of the Future, we have an opportunity NOW.
Let me share with you a few actions I think deserve prioritizing:
One: We must build and improve government capacities in crisis management and response.
This means investing in disaster preparedness, early warning systems and emergency management systems to enable communities to prepare, withstand and recover from crises.
Governments need to prioritize the development of national strategies that integrate food security with economic planning, social protection, and emergency preparedness.
Two: We must allocate resources to high-need areas, with an emphasis on agriculture.
The case for a stronger focus on emergency agricultural aid amid disasters is clear.
This support means people can produce nutritious food for themselves, their families and their communities, and is extremely cost-effective - a critical factor at a time when donors are facing tighter budgets.
And, this requires improved and coordinated data collection and analysis.
And, three: We must focus on tackling root causes and building resilient agrifood systems in protracted food crises.
We need more sustainable solutions that not only address immediate needs of affected populations but also address underlying factors that perpetuate food insecurity and vulnerability.
Allow me to conclude by saying that despite this stark reality, I am encouraged by what I see around me today.
I commend the good work of the G7 Global Alliance for Food Security and welcome ambitious new initiatives such as the upcoming Apulia Food Security Initiative, and the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
I believe that if we work together, we can have a REAL impact and reverse negative trends.
We need to rethink how we address food crises - investing in agriculture and making emergency agricultural aid part of our response to crises.
It's time for us to do more, to do it better, to do it together and to do it now.
Thank you.
Let me start by thanking the Co-sponsors and our Global Network partners for making this important dialogue possible.
The Global Network is the right structure for these complicated times - with collaboration at its core - for joint analysis, responses and action to address global challenges.
I'm not sure how many more "wake-up calls" we need, but the trends highlighted in the Global Report of Food Crises 2024 should be more than enough to push us to real and even different responses and actions!
Record levels of acute food insecurity have grown more severe, and food crises are increasingly protracted.
The report confirms the enormity of the challenge of ending hunger by 2030 - of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Let me offer a brief recap of some of the its highlights…
In 2023, more than 280 million people in 59 countries/territories experienced hunger on a daily basis.
And, 36 of these countries/territories have been featured in the Global Report for the past eight years, meaning we are NOT making progress in moving people out of acute food insecurity conditions.
We also saw the highest ever number of people facing Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) levels of acute food insecurity, in part due to the sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip.
Last year, over 705 000 people in five countries - the Gaza Strip (Palestine), South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Mali - were in Catastrophe… almost double the figure of 2022.
The Gaza Strip is the most severe food crisis in our reporting history, representing around 80 percent of the total global population (576 600 people) estimated to be in Catastrophe in 2023.
And the situation has further deteriorated… in 2024, 1.1 million people - half of Gaza's population - are now in IPC Category 5 facing imminent famine.
At a global scale, we also have 36 million people in 39 countries/territories who experienced Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity, meaning they are at the brink… a crisis or shock away from Catastrophe.
I am also particularly concerned for the 292 million people in 40 countries/territories who are in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) levels of acute food insecurity.
This group, not often " visible", is at a breaking point…if they move into Crisis levels (IPC/CH Phase 3), it will mean increased humanitarian needs, higher costs of response, and greater challenges in restoring food security and livelihoods.
And, we've seen the difficulty of moving people out of acute food insecurity levels.
Sadly, the single most significant driver of acute food insecurity is man-made - it is conflict and violence.
This was the primary driver for the largest number of people in acute food insecurity.
The second most important driver was extreme weather events - we experienced the hottest year on record and increasing episodes of floods and droughts.
And, economic shocks were the third most important driver, due to the dependency on imported food and agricultural inputs and persisting macroeconomic challenges, including high prices and high debt levels.
It's unacceptable that food insecurity and malnutrition have become our "new normal".
As we look ahead to the upcoming high level processes taking place here in New York, including the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, the SDG 2 review at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and, of course, the Summit of the Future, we have an opportunity NOW.
Let me share with you a few actions I think deserve prioritizing:
One: We must build and improve government capacities in crisis management and response.
This means investing in disaster preparedness, early warning systems and emergency management systems to enable communities to prepare, withstand and recover from crises.
Governments need to prioritize the development of national strategies that integrate food security with economic planning, social protection, and emergency preparedness.
Two: We must allocate resources to high-need areas, with an emphasis on agriculture.
The case for a stronger focus on emergency agricultural aid amid disasters is clear.
This support means people can produce nutritious food for themselves, their families and their communities, and is extremely cost-effective - a critical factor at a time when donors are facing tighter budgets.
And, this requires improved and coordinated data collection and analysis.
And, three: We must focus on tackling root causes and building resilient agrifood systems in protracted food crises.
We need more sustainable solutions that not only address immediate needs of affected populations but also address underlying factors that perpetuate food insecurity and vulnerability.
Allow me to conclude by saying that despite this stark reality, I am encouraged by what I see around me today.
I commend the good work of the G7 Global Alliance for Food Security and welcome ambitious new initiatives such as the upcoming Apulia Food Security Initiative, and the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
I believe that if we work together, we can have a REAL impact and reverse negative trends.
We need to rethink how we address food crises - investing in agriculture and making emergency agricultural aid part of our response to crises.
It's time for us to do more, to do it better, to do it together and to do it now.
Thank you.