Islamabad, July 07, 2022 (PPI-OT):
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I am pleased to join you for the launch of the SOFI report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022, says a press release received here today from New York.
2. The collective work of the co-authoring agencies – FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO for producing this report had remained commendable for the last many years.
3. I recall last year as President of the ECOSOC, that over 800 M people who went hungry every night, that number has almost doubled now with the continuation of crises. The causes of Crises are clear.
4. These are the three C’s, its COVID; its climate; and its conflict. Those conflicts have been taking place for decades in some parts of the world. We should keep that perspective in mind, those peoples facing war and occupation for decades, must not be forgotten in the current context.
5. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic fallout, disrupted agricultural and food supply chains, enlarged poverty, escalated commodity prices has constrained the capacity of many governments around the world to provide services including food to the poor and needy.
6. The consequence of current geo-political tensions is coup de grace for the poor: prices of food and energy have spiralled; food and related commodities, including fertilizers, are in short supply and unaffordable for the poorest people and the poorest countries – in Africa, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
7. A number of countries face famine. Over 50 countries are in financial and debt distress and may be pushed into financial meltdown if major central banks raise interest rates, as some have signalled.
Excellencies,
8. Since poverty and hunger go side by side, we need to address both simultaneously. We need an urgent “plan of action” to eliminate both. We need action as my colleague from Argentina has said.
a. First, we must maintain access to food and end supply restrictions, export bans, hoarding, speculation and panic buying of food and fertilizers. Supply chains should be kept fully operational, including for processing food and related logistics; We hope the Secretary General and friends like turkey will succeed in opening access not only to Ukraine wheat, but also to Russian wheat and fertilizer through their diplomatic efforts.
b. Second, support must be provided to enable food producers, especially smallholders in developing countries, to contribute to increases in local and national food production through adequate access to seeds, fertilizer and finance;
c. Third, food prices should be moderated, especially for vulnerable developing countries, through appropriate international, national and market mechanisms. Inflation is wreaking havoc, in so many developing countries, and there are mechanisms that we can use;
d. Fourth, emergency grants and concessional financing must be provided to countries experiencing social and financial distress to secure adequate food and related supplies. A Special Food Emergency Fund could be created under UN auspices.
9. We also need longer term. And those longer-term action I think must start with promoting sustainable systems of food consumption and production; stop waste and pollution; conserve water; promote forestation, and respect biodiversity and our natural habitats.
10. Secondly, we need to rationalize international agricultural trade, particularly elimination of the massive agricultural subsidies provided by certain richer economies, which distort global markets and make it impossible for farmers in the developing countries to produce food at competitive prices.
11. I think my colleague from Argentina spoke of the elimination of agricultural subsidies. These are massive subsidies which distort global markets and make it impossible for farmers in developing countries to produce food at competitive prices.
12. We need to significantly expand investments in sustainable agriculture infrastructure in developing countries to facilitate production, storage, transport and distribution of food products and agricultural inputs.
13. We also need to expand the application of new and breakthrough agricultural technologies and techniques, including digital technologies, in developing countries through access and transfer on concessional and preferential terms.
14. Lastly, we must mobilize adequate concessional finance for the developing countries, including through debt relief, enlarged ODA, reallocation of half of the unutilized SDRs, and fulfilment of the promised $100 billion in climate finance.
It is very well to say that we must do more with less, but there is only so much you can do more with less. Our developed country partners have injected $17 trillion in economies in order to recover from the COVID 19 pandemic.
The developing countries have had access to less than $100 billion in the post pandemic world. This is inequity and it is inequities affecting those the most vulnerable people, the poorest people women, children, if we have concern for those vulnerable people, I think there is need for greater political will to mobilize the finances.
15. I propose these elements for the consideration “plan of action” for eliminating poverty and hunger simultaneously in the remaining decade of action.
16. Let us work together to eradicate poverty and achieve zero hunger by 2030.
I thank you.
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