World’s biggest region at serious risk of missing 2030 targets to end all forms of malnutrition—from hunger to obesity
The warning came during the launch of a new regional report revealing that the reduction in the number of hungry and malnourished people - including children - has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of Asia and the Pacific.
Government representatives attending the Ministerial Forum on South-South Cooperation in Agriculture, held in China, have today committed to greater South-South cooperation on agriculture and rural development to increase momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger.
The FAO Food Price Index, a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 163.5 points in October, down 0.9 percent from September and 7.4 percent below its level a year earlier.
NDB President, K V Kamath, and FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, today met in Shanghai to pave the way for a formal agreement which is expected to be finalized soon. It would mark the first such cooperation between the NDB and an UN agency.
The countries involved include Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.
It is essential that parliaments around the world act without delay to adapt and improve legal, political and institutional frameworks to end hunger and ensure nutritious and healthy diets for all
He made the remarks at the Italy-Africa Ministerial Conference in Rome, which includes foreign ministers and other officials from more than 45 African Countries, as well as representatives from the African Union, other international organizations, and the private sector.

Food safety hazards are increasingly being recognized as a major public health problem worldwide, yet among developing countries, there is limited understanding of the wider-ranging socio-economic costs of unsafe food and the benefits of remedial or preventative measures. This limited evidence base has led many countries to underinvest in food safety, or invest inefficiently in reaction to serious outbreaks of foodborne illness, other food scares, or trade interruptions. For many countries experiencing rapid urbanization and dietary changes, the growing complexity of food safety hazards is outpacing if not overwhelming prevailing food safety management capacity-both in government and in supply chains.

This report strengthens the economic case for increased public investment and other policy attention on food safety in developing countries. It is directed primarily at policy-makers, although researchers, development practitioners and food safety specialists will also find its content of value. By synthesizing and interpreting the available evidence on the economic costs of unsafe food in relation to both domestic markets and trade, the report positions food safety as an integral part of economic development and food system modernization. It goes on to provide guidance on ways in which public policy and investment can improve food safety awareness and behavior from farm to fork.

You can access the publication here.

A Global Forum in Marrakesh supported by the European Union and organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and FAO has heard that development and international financing institutions must collaborate more strategically to leverage private investments.

22 - 23 October 2018
IFAD HQ, Rome (Italy)

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Save the Children Italy are hosting an international conference entitled “Leaving no one behind – making the case for adolescent girls”, which will be held on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 October 2018 at IFAD headquarters, Rome, Italy.

The conference will highlight the importance of investing in adolescents to ensure that they grow up and are educated in a healthy and safe environment to prevent the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, food insecurity and poverty. 

The purpose of this event aims at sustaining on-going momentum of identifying solutions to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, and to contribute to the achievement of the global nutrition goals and objectives of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.

Institutions, practitioners, technical specialists, academia and civil society organizations will join the conference and contribute to the debate.

The Committee on World Food Secuirty (CFS) wrapped up its 45th Session today, tasking itself with formulating Voluntary Guidelines for Food Systems and Nutrition for approval in 2020.