Food

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome today:

The World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund say that as drought worsens in Madagascar, malnutrition rates are expected to quadruple among children in the South, where at least half a million under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished, including 110,000 in severe condition.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the opening of the Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome today:

Hundreds of thousands of people in southern Madagascar continue to suffer one of the worst droughts the region has faced in more than 40 years.  Severe lack of rain and sandstorms have made it nearly impossible to grow food, and at least 1.31 million people in the Grand Sud are severely food insecure.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports significant job losses and deteriorated labour market conditions in Myanmar since the military takeover.  ILO says employment contracted by an estimated 6 per cent in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, reflecting 1.2 million job losses.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new project to improve emergency response to health crises.   The project, called INITIATE², will develop solutions such as disease-specific field facilities and kits and train logistics and health responders on their use.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) cited a tight window for farmers in hunger-stricken northern Ethiopia to get crops in the ground ahead of upcoming seasonal rains.  It appealed for $30 million in urgent support, noting that farmers have seen seeds and animals looted and credit lines disappear.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Africa Regional Food Systems Summit Dialogue, today:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as escalating conflict has displaced 270,000 Afghans inside the country since January, bringing the total uprooted population to more than 3.5 million.  UNHCR said the needs of those who have fled are “suddenly acute”.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat has a new draft Global Biodiversity Framework to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect nature, and its essential services to people.  It will serve as the basis for negotiations at the Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, in October.