admin The world’s food systems have failed and need a comprehensive overhaul to support the billions of people who are bearing the brunt of multiple crises, according to participants at the inaugural UN Food Systems Summit in New York.
Need of the Hour
Around 30,000 people attended the digital conference, which was two years in the making and aimed to accelerate progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 amid the global challenges of hunger, climate change, poverty, inequality and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN Food Systems Summit followed decades of international efforts to ensure food security and nutrition for all. Yet around 3 billion people are still unable to afford or access a healthy diet, and as many as 811 million people faced hunger last year. Meanwhile, around a third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted, and the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed serious deficiencies in food systems.
Details on the Summit
Statements and pledges were heard from more than 85 heads of state and leaders from over 150 nations, along with a diverse range of participants, including farmers, fishers, women, Indigenous peoples, youth, civil society and the private sector.
Around 300 commitments from five action areas were received from around the world in support of national and regional pathways to sustainable food systems. “As young people, we are ready to take the responsibility, but we ask you to honor your commitments,” said Mike Khunga, a youth advocate from Malawi who was vice chair of an action track at the summit. “We are not the leaders of tomorrow – we are leading today.”
Dozens of session speakers took the floor, including David Malpass of the World Bank Group, Jessica Vega Ortega from the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, José Andres of the World Central Kitchen in Haiti, Reema Nanavaty of the Self-Employed Women’s Association and Thanawat Tiensin from the Committee on World Food Security.
Steps Taken
During the two-day event, the School Meals Coalition was launched to provide a healthy meal for every child every day, while the U.S. pledged USD 5 billion to Feed the Future – the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative – as part of its USD 10 billion investment over five years to transform food systems. Melinda Gates also announced a new USD 922 million, five-year investment in nutritious food systems on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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