Leaders of the Governments of Spain, the US, the AU, the EU, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia and Nigeria met on Tuesday to affirm their commitment to urgently respond to the food security and nutritional needs of hundreds of millions of people around the world.
The leaders reiterated that food systems and global food security are at a critical moment, the US Department of States said in a media statement on Tuesday.
“The compounded impacts from a global pandemic, growing pressures from the climate crisis, high energy and fertiliser prices and protracted conflicts, including Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine have disrupted production and supply chains and dramatically increased global food insecurity, especially for the most vulnerable.”
The leaders agreed they can only overcome global food insecurity by working together to create innovative partnerships – including international financial institutions and other key stakeholders – within the global community.
We commit to strengthen international co-operation and partnership initiatives between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations as well as civil society organisations. As of Tuesday, more than 100 UN member states have endorsed the Roadmap for Global Food Security – Call to Action.
“We underscore the need to act with sustained urgency and in co-ordination to fulfil the goals of the 2021 Food Systems Summit – as well as to respond to immediate humanitarian needs and build more resilient agriculture and food systems along these seven specific lines of action.”
The actions include:
– Making new, additive financial donations to key humanitarian organisations to allow for an increased provision of immediate life-saving humanitarian assistance wherever possible.
– Provide, where possible and as needed, in-kind donations and necessary associated costs to key humanitarian organisations for transportation and delivery of food commodities based on assessed needs by governments of affected countries or humanitarian organisations.
– Keep food, fertiliser and agricultural markets open and avoid unjustified restrictive measures, such as export bans on food and fertilizer, which increase market volatility and threaten food security and nutrition at a global scale;
– Support an increase of fertiliser production, where possible and as needed, in order to compensate for shortages, accelerate and scale-up fertiliser innovations, support their marketing, and promote methods to maximise fertiliser efficiency
– Accelerate efforts to support sustainable agriculture and food systems, through strengthening agricultural productivity, particularly in the most affected countries to build their resilience and support domestic production, including as appropriate through efforts to support an energy transition that is just and equitable, to make them more resilient and available to producers of all scale, including small holder farmers.
– Increase investments in research and technology to develop and implement science-based and climate-resilient agricultural innovations, including seeds, that contribute to building sustainable and resilient agricultural sectors and food systems.
– Monitor markets affecting food systems, including futures markets, to ensure full transparency, and to share reliable and timely data and information on global food market developments, especially through the relevant international organisations.