The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is seeking $350 million to scale up hunger-fighting and livelihoods-boosting activities in food crisis contexts where COVID-19’s impact could be devastating.

For the first time since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, UN and multilateral agencies from across health, education, agriculture, WASH, and social welfare sectors have come together to make a renewed commitment to school health and nutrition. The partnership, Stepping up effective school health and nutrition aims to advance the health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents, so they are ready to learn and thrive, and can contribute meaningfully to the future of their communities and countries.

The joint call for action comes as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes 90% of the world’s student population out of school and brings to light the important role schools play in protecting the health and well-being of learners. Millions of children are now missing the one nutritious meal a day they received through school feeding programmes. Millions more can no longer access the basic health services and critical health education provided in schools across the world.

Through united action, the partnership, which includes FAO, GPE, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNSCN, the World Bank, WFP, and WHO, invites governments and other partners to join them in renewing their own commitments to school health and nutrition and to increase and better align investments and efforts to  bring proven interventions to scale and respond to children’s learning and growth needs holistically, and ultimately build the human capital of countries.

Friday 15 May at 15:00 CEST
Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8729481715829403919

FAOUNEPICLEI, RUAF and Rikolto invite you to learn from the experience of 3 cities: New York City (USA), Kampala (Uganda) and Quito (Ecuador) in a webinar on Cities and Covid-19: Food access for vulnerable communities on Friday 15 May at 15:00 CEST.

Speakers:

  • Jamie Morrison, Strategic Programme Leader, Food Systems Programme, FAO
  • Kate MacKenzie, Director of the Mayor's Office of Food Policy, New York City
  • Esau Galukande, Deputy Director Production and Marketing, Kampala Capital City Authority
  • David Jácome Polit, Metropolitan Director of Resilience, Municipality of Quito

The webinar is part of a Series of webinars on the Food Systems Approach in Practice promoted by members of the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems Programme (SFS Programme), a global multi-stakeholder platform to support countries in the transition towards sustainable food systems.

The 2020 Global Nutrition Report looks beyond global and national patterns, revealing significant inequalities in nutrition outcomes within countries and populations. Based on the best-available data, in-depth analysis and expert opinion rooted in evidence, the report identifies critical actions to achieve nutrition equity. Everyone deserves access to healthy, affordable food and quality nutrition care.

 

Executive Summary

Download the Report here

 

Tuesday 12 May, 1−2:15pm BST | 5:30−6:45pm IST | 8−9:15am EDT

As ever, the 2020 GNR presents the most comprehensive picture of the state of nutrition at the global, regional and country level, and tracks progress against global nutrition targets and the commitments made to reach them. Uniquely, the 2020 report focuses on equity and unpacks the role of inequities in tackling malnutrition. It does this in recognition of the ways in which malnutrition affects different people in different ways, depending on factors such as income, location, sex and age. Through this lens, the 2020 GNR reveals the challenges and opportunities for improving nutrition outcomes through food and health systems, supported by strong financing and accountability.

The online launch will provide the opportunity to present the key findings of the 2020 GNR and reflect on the current crisis and its impact on a world already affected by the double burden of malnutrition. India is a country that knows all too well the impact of inequities on nutrition. Yet despite facing multiple burdens, it continues to strive towards progress and an India free from all forms of malnutrition. Building on India’s commitment to improve nutrition outcomes, and in collaboration with TINI, the 2020 GNR will provide an overview of the global burden of malnutrition while also shining a light on examples of progress and pinpointing where action is urgently needed.

More info available here

Register here

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, QU Dongyu, said today significant gains had been made in the fight against the Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa and Yemen.
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks prices in the international prices of the most commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 165.5 points in April, some 3.4 percent lower than the previous month and almost 10 percent lower than January.
The key findings of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020) have been released today together with an interactive publication called “A Fresh Perspective: Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.”

Thursday, May 7 at 9:00AM EDT

With over 1.5 billion learners affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, many countries are struggling to ensure children continue to receive a nutritious meal. Join the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) for a series of interactive webinars for government officials and their implementing partners to discuss strategies for addressing school meal program disruptions in the short-term, how they’ll continue in the future, how to re-start programs, and more.

The first webinar of the series will be held on Thursday, May 7 at 9:00AM EDT.  
Please register here:
Webinar 1: How partners are safely getting food to school-age children and their families
Through this session, GCNF will highlight what other partners are doing in this space to ensure governments avoid reinventing the wheel and can quickly adapt practices to local context.
Speakers:
  • Carmen Burbano, WFP Director of the School Feeding Division
  • Rafael Fábrega, Tetra Laval Director of Food for Development
  • Cindy Long, USDA FNS Deputy Administrator of Child Nutrition Programs
  • Daniel Mumuni, CRS Sierra Leone Chief of Party
Moderated by Alesha Black Miller, Nonresident Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture Program, Chicago Council for Global Affairs
Beyond the COVID-19 health emergency, a recession looms, and countries ought to take measures now to soften the longer-term impacts on hunger and food insecurity, a new FAO policy brief says.
In this interview, we speak with Mike Robson, FAO Representative in Syria about the COVID-19 pandemic and what it could mean for a country such as Syria, which is on a long road to recovery after nine years of crisis.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu has thanked the Russian Federation for boosting the fight against the Desert Locust outbreak in East Africa by making a $10 million contribution to support FAO operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda.