FAO’s Investment Centre is stepping up its support for creating more robust and sustainable agri-food systems

Q&A with FAO Investment Centre Director
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Nutrition News- Issue 2

In an effort to present nutrition related news at the global and country level, UNSCN and the UNN Secretariats have teamed up to deliver the final edition of Nutrition News, providing a comprehensive overview of recent developments supported and/or coordinated by the UN system.

You can access your copy here.

The final issue for 2020 includes:

  • UN Nutrition, the future looks bright!
  • Farewells and Hello’s within the Steering Committee
  • Revising plans for COVID-19 response: UNN-REACH work in Lesotho and Sierra Leone
  • Global governance for nutrition: Updates from the CFS
  • Second round of mapping in Niger reveals shortfalls and clarifies nutritionpriorities
  • UNSCN Knowledge Management Survey Results
  • World Food Programme awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2020
  • Non-traditional actors align nutritionpriorities in Papua New Guinea
  • Sustainable food systems to acheive the SDGs
  • FAO turns 75 and celebrates World Food Day
  • Setting up a UN Network in Honduras: Challenges and opportunities in the COVID-19 era
  • Nutrition in a Digital World Webinar Series
  • IAEA Technical Meeting focuses on the Role of Stable Isotope Techniques in Evaluating Food-based Approaches to Improve Diet Quality
  • Conference of the Sustainable Food Systems ProLatest Publications and Nutrition Related Events

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

©WHO/ Saffea Gborie

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FAO moves to scale up response to Fall Armyworm as pest continues to spread

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is increasing efforts aimed at bolstering the global response to Fall Armyworm (FAW), considered one of the top 10 devastating plant pests affecting food and agriculture.
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School Nutrition Inventory

School Nutrition Inventory, edition 1-2020

Schools offer an opportune and favorable setting to accelerate action and contribute to the systemic action required to end malnutrition in all its forms. The benefits of school nutrition initiatives can extend well beyond nutrition – improving school enrolment and attendance, empowering women and girls, creating value chains for local food producers, supporting sustainable agriculture and ensuring safe and protective environments for growth and learning.

UN agencies have worked to develop a range of tools and resources to support governments, institutions and partners in advancing school-based and school-linked nutrition action in all contexts, including protracted crisis and humanitarian settings.

The Community of Practice on School Nutrition, facilitated by UNSCN, has published the first edition of their Inventory on School Nutrition initiatives. This inventory takes stock on the most up to date guidance, tools and resources from UN agencies in collaboration with their partner organizations to advance the school nutrition agenda and provides a quick reference tool for anyone looking to take action on school nutrition.

The School Nutrition CoP plans to publish yearly editions to update the inventory content under UN Nutrition, in order to provide an up-to-date repository of UN agencies core work in the area of school nutrition.

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FAO Annual Employee Recognition Awards go to 200 individuals and ten teams across the UN agency

Two hundred individuals and ten teams from across all streams and offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) were recognized today at the FAO Employee Recognition Awards event - held this year online.
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Desert Locust upsurge continues to threaten food security in Horn of Africa and Yemen despite intense efforts

A new generation of Desert Locust swarms is threatening agricultural and pastoral livelihoods and the food security of millions of people in the Horn of Africa and Yemen despite intense efforts to control the pest throughout 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said today.
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Global Environment Facility approves over $78 million to support FAO-led projects

The projects will be implemented in partnership with and co-financed by the governments of the countries involved: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Fiji, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Vanuatu, and Venezuela.
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FAO launches the UN’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, today launched the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 (IYFV) with an appeal to improve healthy and sustainable food production through innovation and technology and to reduce food loss and waste.
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Transforming agri-food systems to feed the world and tackle climate change

Feeding the world’s growing population while abiding by the need to limit the impacts of climate change will require urgent and radical transformations of our agri-food systems, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said at a High-Level event commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
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Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries are turning the corner on overexploitation

According to a new report on the State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries (SoMFi 2020), released today, while 75 percent of fish stocks remain subject to overfishing, this percentage fell by more than 10 percent between 2014 and 2018. Exploitation ratios are down by a similar proportion.
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Launch of Nutrition for Growth Year of Action

December 14, 2020 from 9:00 to 11:00 EST (15:00 to 17:00 CET)

Register Here

The Governments of Canada and Bangladesh, in partnership with the Government of Japan and with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, cordially invite you to the launch of a Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Year of Action.

The event will showcase new policy and financing commitments to nutrition from a range of stakeholders and will formally launch a Nutrition For Growth Year of Action, that includes milestone events leading up to the Summit in Tokyo in late December 2021.

The event will feature appearances from global nutrition champions including:

  • Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF;
  • Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
  • Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Food System's Summit;
  • Gerda Verburg, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Coordinator of the SUN Movement;
  • Andrew Morley, CEO World Vision International

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Our Basic Texts: “Raising levels of nutrition” – FAO’s contribution to global nutrition

Monday 14th December, 15:00-17:00 CET
Register Here
Full Agenda available here. Interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish. 

FAO was established 75 years ago as the first specialized agency of the United Nations. Hunger was rife and with the imminent potential of a rising world population the question was - can the world produce enough food to feed its population? Since then the global nutrition situation has evolved. The spotlight has now shifted to food systems and their failings in providing healthy diets: can the world nourish its fast-growing population?

Working towards the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, FAO is currently updating the Vision and Strategy for FAO’s Work in Nutrition and appropriately is setting for itself the vision of “a world where all people are eating healthy diets from sustainable food systems”. Dr QU Dongyu, Director-General of FAO, is leading the Organization to chart a new “path to a better tomorrow, through better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life”.

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