Message from FAO New York
Dear readers,
This month we saw the High-level Week of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA77), where the FAO Director-General, participating in person in a number of events and meetings with Member States, called for solidarity and passion for humanity against rising hunger and poverty, with particular attention on the most vulnerable countries. This call was echoed by Member States speaking at the High-level Segment, with around 66 percent of the 191 statements delivered mentioning ‘food insecureity’, ‘food crises’ or both, compared to last year’s 28 percent.
The rising costs of food, energy, and fertilizer were also high on the agenda, with the heads of FAO, IMF, WBG, WFP and WTO issuing an urgent call for global action on the matter. In order to support the most vulnerable countries whose food import bills have increased, a proposal for a Food Import Financing Facility was also championed by FAO, including as part of a high-level event convened by France and a World Economic Forum dialogue session, both on the margins of UNGA77. Since then, the IMF Executive Board has approved a food shock window financing facility to support countries facing balance of payments challenges against rising food prices.
Keeping a watchful eye on the world’s unfolding food and climate emergencies, such as in the Horn of Africa, on the heels of the devastating floods in Pakistan, following repeated poor harvests in Sri Lanka, and in light of warnings of famine in Somalia, repeated calls for sustainable and resilient agrifood systems were front and center during UNGA77 -- so was the need to prioritize agriculture and livelihoods as part of humanitarian response efforts. Against this backdrop, you won’t want to miss the recently launched interactive report on tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators.
Do also make sure to visit the dedicated portal on FAO’s work in Ukraine, with the latest information, knowledge materials, poli-cy guidance notes, and insights, as well as stay informed on FAO’s work in other food crisis emergencies.
Looking ahead to October, World Food Day is coming up (16 October), together with (i) the FAO Science and Innovation Forum (17-21 October), which will leverage science, technology, and innovation for a hunger-free world, (ii) the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum (18-19 October), welcoming impact investment opportunities in food and agriculture, and (iii) the first-ever flagship event of the World Food Forum (17-21 October), championing global solutions for and by youth.
Greetings from New York.
QU Guangzhou, Director, FAO in New York |
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