FAO report cites 41 countries needing external assistance for food

Some 41 countries, including 31 in Africa, are in need of external assistance for food, with conflict and adverse weather conditions - particularly rainfall shortages in Africa - acutely affecting food availability and access, according to FAO's latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
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Italy and FAO advance awareness on the benefits of Mediterranean diet

Access for all to healthy diets such as the Mediterranean diet is critical for achieving the Agenda 2030, and such diets must be protected and promoted. That was the main message at an event today organized by the Government of Italy with support from FAO aimed at deepening understanding of the Mediterranean diet and raising awareness on how it can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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74th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74)

17-30 September 2019
New York City, US

The 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74) will open on 17 September 2019. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be Tuesday, 24 September 2019.

During the week of the debate, several other high-level events also will convene (as of 27 November 2018):

  • On Monday, 23 September, the UN Secretary-General will convene a Climate Summit, and the UNGA will hold a one-day high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC);
  • On Tuesday, 24 September, following the opening of the 74th General Debate, the UNGA will convene a meeting of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which will take place on the afternoon of 24 September and all day on 25 September (SDG Summit);
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United Arab Emirates and FAO team up to boost resilience in Liberia

The United Arab Emirates have agreed to provide $4 million in funding to foster rural development in Liberia in partnership with FAO. The contribution, agreed earlier this week, comes from the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, aims to support 1 500 rural women in three counties.
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World food prices dip in August

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, averaged 169.8 points in August 2019, down 1.1 percent from July while still up 1.1 percent from its August 2018 level.
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Rains improve harvests in Syria but families still struggle to survive

Favourable rains in Syria’s agricultural areas, coupled with improved overall security, have boosted harvests compared to last year, but higher food prices are putting more strain on many Syrians, a new United Nations report has found.
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Nutrition News – Issue 3, 2019

In an effort to present nutrition related news at the global and country level, UNSCN and the UNN Secretariats are teaming up to produce the first comprehensive overview of recent developments supported and/or coordinated by the UN system.

The third issue for 2019 includes:

  • UNN analytics anchor discussions on nutrition investment in Mali
  • Bringing nutrition beyond Rome
  • The Philippines: The land of many islands and nutrition achievements
  • Towards Voluntary Guidelines for Food systems and Nutrition
  • UN nutrition lobbying starts to pay off in Liberia
  • Improving diets for human and planetary health
  • Publications and a calendar of nutrition related events

 Sign up for UNSCN E-Alerts and E-Newsletters here.

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Mechanization powers the way to Africa’s sustainable development

Agriculture is crucial to Africa’s development but needs increased mechanization to boost economic productivity, reduce harvest and post-harvest losses and meet growing demand for food. This is one of the messages that has emerged during the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7).
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UNIDO-FAO to promote green opportunities to accelerate youth employment in Africa’s agricultural sector

On the sidelines of the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7), UNIDO, FAO and the African Union launched the Flagship Initiative to Accelerate Youth Employment in Agriculture and Agribusiness in Africa.
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IAEA’s Nutritional and Health-Related Environmental Studies Newsletter – August 2019 edition

The 10th Nutritional & Health-related Environmental Studies Newsletter features the following articles.

Meeting & News

  • Scientists converge in Kingston, Jamaica to learn how to assess gut dysfunction using a stable isotope technique
  • Project meetings on assessing vitamin A body pools
  • Bringing stable isotope techniques closer to the people through e-learning platforms
  • Nuclear Techniques for Better Nutrition
  • Student’s visit from Wageningen University and University of Vienna
  • Double Burden of Malnutrition - Symposium Follow-Up Report
  • Results of FTIR use and ownership survey 2018

New publications

  • Measuring growth and medium- and longer-term outcomes in malnourished children
  • Challenges and opportunities to tackle the rising prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Africa
  • IAEA Human Health Series No. 35

Success stories

  • Dispatch from the warm heart of Africa: How nuclear techniques are contributing to understanding the double burden of malnutrition in Malawi
  • A day in the life of an IAEA nutrition expert

NAHRES Special

  • Launch of the UNSCN Nutrition 44 - Food environments: Where people meet the food system

You can download you copy here.

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African countries can benefit more from Japan’s knowledge and culture of healthy foods and diets

In their fight to end hunger and improve nutrition, African countries have the opportunity to tap into Japan’s knowledge of smart technologies, agricultural machinery and marketing, as well as from the East Asian nation’s high food safety and nutrition standards,said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu today.
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Syrian women food producers learn new skills from Italian farmers

Slow Food and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are organizing a study tour this week in northwest Italy for a group of Syrian small-scale women farmers.
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