The 12th Nutritional & Health-related Environmental Studies Newsletter has a special focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It includes suggestions for conducting IAEA nutrition studies during the COVID-19 pandemic and reflections from a researcher at our Collaborating Centre in Bangalore, India, on stalled research activities due to COVID-19. In addition, don’t miss the UNSCN contribution on the impact of COVID-19 on food systems and food environments including useful links to available resources.

Check also the news on other activities, new publications and success stories.

You can download you copy here.

 

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index averaged 94.2 points in July, a 1.2 percent increase from June and nearly 1.0 percent higher than July 2019.

Monday August 3rd, 2020 - 2.00PM CEST/1.00PM BST/08.00 US EST 

To join the webinar please click here 

The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition is pleased to launch its latest policy brief, Strengthening food systems in fragile contexts. 

This policy brief seeks to stimulate international development organisations, governments, and other stakeholders, to realign policies within fragile contexts to ensure that diet and nutrition are improved, whilst also building more sustainable, resilient food systems. Currently, 1.8 billion people live in fragile regions with high societal, economic, environmental, political and security risks. By 2030, according to OECD, this is projected to reach 2.3 billion, and will include 80% of the global poor. In 2020 fragile states were disproportionately affected by food crises. 

Join the Global Panel and WFP for a panel of global food systems and nutrition experts who will discuss policy priorities for strengthening food systems in humanitarian crises. 

Follow the conversation on Twitter using #Food Systems in #FragileContexts during the webinar.

More info and agenda available here

Putting healthy, affordable and sustainable diets at the heart of a human-rights based response to COVID-19

This narrative was created by members of the UN Interagency Task Force on NCD’s Nutrition Working Group. Members represent UN agencies and partner organisations who work collaboratively to raise awareness and strengthen action towards reducing all forms of malnutrition and diet-related NCDs. 

Read the full advocacy piece here.

The narrative advocates for strengthened action on nutrition to stem the rising food and nutrition crisis that threatens to violate human rights and worsen what is already the leading cause of ill health globally – malnutrition.

It details both the pathways through which the impact of COVID-19 is likely to impact on nutrition, as well as providing a list of areas where UN agencies and their inter-governmental organization partners have focused attention to advance the nutrition agenda and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on malnutrition.

The initiative, launched by the Government of Italy and led by FAO, is gaining momentum, as more countries are joining the initiative in an effort to tackle medium and long-term adverse impacts of the current pandemic on food systems and agriculture.
Many of the refugees have been present in the countries for long periods of time; some have fled past conflicts in neighboring countries such as Somalia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, and Eritrea, but others have been forced from their homes by famine or environmental events such as droughts and floods.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today unveiled a comprehensive platform to help the global community step up action to reduce food loss and waste as the UN agency and partners call for increased efforts and gear up for the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste – to be marked for the first time on 29 September 2020.

Wednesday, 29 July 2020 - 16:30-18:00 Rome time

Register here

COVID-19 has exasperated efforts to improve food and nutrition security around the world, demonstrating our food systems are not prepared to withstand shocks. As research agendas pivot to COVID-19 response, recovery and resilience; our challenge is not to restore the old food systems but to transform them to do better for people and planet. 
 
Aquatic foods must be part of this solution. They are highly regenerative and naturally rich in the micronutrients that humans need. Despite their importance, aquatic food systems are frequently overlooked in important policy and investment decisions due to the critical gaps in knowledge needed to address the complex challenges set out in the 2030 global sustainable development agenda, made now even more urgent by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
This discussion forum, hosted by WorldFish and partners, seeks to build a concerted, science-based approach to ensure aquatic foods are an integral part of the response and recovery to COVID-19 and the transformation of global food systems towards healthier and sustainable diets. 

28 July 2020, 2:00 to 3:30pm (Rome time)

Through an interactive discussion, this event will offer participants an opportunity to learn about the work of the gFSC and the initiatives under the CFS, especially the relevance of the Guidelines. Discussions will touch on ways to promote their use in shaping policies and coordinated action at country and regional levels.

Panelists will provide an overview of the work of the CFS and its role in the global governance of food security and nutrition, present the content of the Guidelines with particular attention to the policy recommendations included in Part 3, and present ideas on how UN agencies and bodies could promote their implementation.

More specifically, the webinar will:

  • Familiarize participants with the CFS and showcase examples of its processes and products;
  • Introduce participants to the current version of the Guidelines, its core messages and overarching goals;
  • Stimulate a discussion on the potential role of the Guidelines in steering policymakers and relevant stakeholders when designing policies, laws, regulatory frameworks, strategies, and programmes at local, country, and regional levels;
  • Reflect on potential areas of collaboration between the CFS and the gFSC, with particular attention to the potential use of CFS products – and more specifically the Guidelines – in support of the gFSC’s coordination activities, strategic programming and operations.

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