Parmi ses trois mesures, M. Guterres cite des investissements massifs dans des systèmes alimentaires durables, équitables, sains et résilients
On trouvera ci-après la déclaration que le Secrétaire général de l’ONU, M. António Guterres, a faite au Sommet des Nations Unies sur les systèmes alimentaires, qui se tient aujourd’hui à Rome:
My thanks to the Government of Italy for hosting this important event. This is a gathering about food systems. But it is essentially about people in need — and the need to fuflill the most basic of human rights. The right to food.
In a world of plenty, it is outrageous that people continue to suffer and die from hunger. The Food Systems Summit two years ago helped shine a spotlight on a core truth: Global food systems are broken — and billions of people are paying the price.
More than 780 million people are going hungry while nearly one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. More than three billion cannot afford healthy diets. Two billion are overweight or obese. 462 million are underweight.
And without access to financing and debt relief, developing countries are struggling to invest in food systems that can reach all people with the nutrition they need to live healthy lives.
Meanwhile, unsustainable food production, packaging and consumption are feeding the climate crisis, generating one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, using 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater, and driving biodiversity loss on an epic scale. Many communities are one shock away from plummeting into food insecurity or even famine.
And that dire picture has grown bleaker with the Russian Federation’s termination of the Black Sea Initiative that enabled the safe export of more than 32 million metric tons of food on more than 1,000 vessels from Ukrainian ports.
The Initiative, together with our Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Federation to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports, have been lifelines for global food security and global food price stability. Food prices dropped by 23 per cent from their highs last year. With the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, the most vulnerable will pay the highest price. When food prices rise, everybody pays for it. We are already seeing the negative effect on global wheat and corn prices which hurts everyone.
But this is especially devastating for vulnerable countries struggling to feed their people. As food prices rise, the hopes of developing countries fall. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are both essential to global food security. They have historically accounted for roughly 30 per cent of global wheat and barley exports, a fifth of all maize, and more than half of all sunflower oil.
For my part, I remain committed to facilitating the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and to deliver the food security that every person deserves. I call on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, in line with my latest proposal. I urge the global community to stand united for effective solutions in this essential effort.
Broken food systems are not inevitable. They are the result of choices we have made. There is more than enough food in the world to go around. More than enough money to fund efficient and sustainable food systems to feed the world, while supporting decent work for those who grow the food we eat. And more than enough agricultural innovations and technology that can place healthy food within reach of every person.
The good news is that countries are heeding the alarm we sounded in 2021 when I convened the first Food Systems Summit. Over 100 countries have submitted voluntary progress reports on food systems transformation. Countries are taking decisive steps to reflect this priority in national and sub-national laws, policies and programming.
We’re seeing more data being generated to shape policies, programmes and investments. And we’re seeing more partnerships among governments, businesses, civil society and UN agencies — including through the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub.
But rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals means going much further. And time is running out. We need urgent action in three key areas. First — a massive investment in sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient food systems. It’s no surprise that chronic hunger is increasing in those regions with the weakest and most underfunded food systems — western Asia, the Caribbean, and across all regions in Africa.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition report released two weeks ago also found that one in five people in Africa is going hungry — more than twice the global average. Starving food systems of investment means, quite literally, starving people.
I urge governments to respond to our call for an SDG Stimulus to scale up affordable long-term financing for all countries in need, by at least 500 billion dollars a year. This will help countries make meaningful progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to achieve zero hunger, and build systems that can ensure people have access to affordable, nutritious food wherever they live.
We also need greater investments in adaptation and resilient food, health, water, sanitation and agriculture systems that can withstand shocks, as well as early warning systems. And I call on governments to support the Food Import Facility proposed by the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance to expand food accessibility for at least 50 countries facing acute food insecurity, and a Food Stockholding Mechanism for least-developed countries.
Second — governments and businesses must work together to build systems that put people over profit. I call on governments and the food, agricultural, transportation and retail industries to explore new ways to lower the cost and increase the geographic availability of fresh, healthy food for all people.
This also means keeping food markets open and removing trade barriers and export restrictions. And it means leveraging science and technology to improve the efficiency and reach of food systems. We must also boost support for the women and men around the world who bring food systems to life — from farmers and food workers, to those who transport food to markets.
The World Bank estimates that food systems represent about 10 per cent of the global economy. We must continue finding ways to support the people who drive this prosperity.
Troisièmement, nous avons besoin de systèmes alimentaires qui puissent contribuer à mettre fin à la guerre insensée livrée à notre planète.
Il est essentiel de transformer les systèmes alimentaires pour réduire les émissions de carbone et limiter le réchauffement global à 1,5 degré Celsius.
Pour ce faire, il faut mettre en place de nouveaux systèmes durables qui permettent de diminuer l’empreinte carbone des activités de transformation, d’emballage et de transport des aliments.
Il faut exploiter au mieux les nouvelles technologies pour réduire l’utilisation non durable des terres, de l’eau et d’autres ressources dans les secteurs de la production alimentaire et de l’agriculture. Il faut exiger des États et des entreprises qu’ils prennent des mesures plus fortes et plus rapides pour lutter contre la crise climatique et répondre aux attentes en matière de justice environnementale et climatique.
Il faut enfin que tous les pays s’engagent à atteindre zéro émission nette – d’ici à 2040 pour les pays développés, et d’ici à 2050 pour les économies émergentes. Les systèmes alimentaires et tous les autres systèmes dont ils dépendent – y compris les transports – doivent contribuer à cet effort mondial de grande ampleur.
Transforming food systems requires all hands on deck. Since day one, the spirit of collaboration has shone through your efforts. From the national dialogues that brought together governments, businesses, communities and civil society in search of solutions. To the establishment of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub bringing together all food systems partners to end the fragmentation that slows our progress. To the 155 national convenors on the frontline of countries’ transformation efforts. To the leaders joining us today — and everyone in this room and following online.
Together, let’s keep pushing for change. Let’s keep holding each other to account, and learning from one another. Let’s transform food systems for the future, and ensure that every person, in every community and country, has access to the safe and nutritious food they need and deserve.
Let’s not forget, for that developing countries to be able achieve these goals it is absolutely essential to massively scale up debt relief and guarantee long-term investments for those countries to be able to overcome the asphixy there are currently facing.