Entries by UNSCN Secretariat

4th session of the UN Environment Assembly

11-15 March 2019
Nairobi, Kenya

The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. It addresses the critical environmental challenges facing the world today. Understanding these challenges and preserving and rehabilitating our environment is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Under the overall theme Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production, the 2019 UN Environment Assembly will address the following three focus areas: 

(a) environmental challenges related to poverty and natural resources management, including sustainable food systems, food security and halting biodiversity loss; 

(b) life-cycle approaches to resource efficiency, energy, chemicals and waste management; and

(c) innovative sustainable business development at a time of rapid technological change.

More info available here.

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Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63)

11-22 March 2019
United Nations HQ, New York (USA)

The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019.

Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are expected to attend the session.

Themes

  • Priority theme: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
  • Review theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session)

More info available here

Banner: CSW63, The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 11-22 March 2019

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FAO’s Framework for the Urban Food Agenda: A holistic approach to ensuring sustainable development.

With unprecedented levels of urban population growth and with almost 80% of all food that is produced already consumed within urban areas, fostering resilient and economically prosperous food systems, integrated across landscapes and based on multi-stakeholder, multi-scalar and multi-sector collaboration, will be key to supporting more sustainable urbanization processes. The provision of a wide range of ecosystem services and goods including food, timber, freshwater and labour, that place social justice, ecological integrity, climate resilience and regional economic development at the centre of urban policies and planning will be essential. Investment in food system architecture and related soft infrastructure is also crucial to facilitate food flows and to strengthen rural-urban linkages.

The FAO Framework for the Urban Food Agenda aims to:

  • Guide the implementation of an urban food policy agenda that leverages untapped potential to drive sustainable food consumption and production and addresses food insecurity and malnutrition in urban areas
  • Define FAO’s guiding principles and engagement in relation to the changing food security and nutrition needs associated with urbanization and urban development, advocating for more inclusive place-based approaches that promote more equal access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and adequate food and create meaningful and secure jobs and business opportunities for small-scale food and non food-actors
  • Delineate FAO’s value-added contributions to the New Urban Agenda and to the 2030 Agenda through the provision of more effective and coordinated support that connects urban food dynamics with territorial development approaches

Launch event

Full document

Brief

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3rd meeting in the Global Action Network on Sustainable Food from the Oceans and Inland Waters for Food Security and Nutrition

6 March 2019
Bergen, Norway

This meeting is a follow up of the 1st meeting (5 July 2018) and the 2nd meeting (18 October 2018) where inputs were collected in order to develop a Mission Statement, a Concept Document, and an Action Plan.

This meeting will look at the elements of food security (access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, meeting dietary needs and food preferences) and:

  • Discuss/exchange challenges, available resources/ science and knowledge gaps
  •  Exchange/ elaborate on possible actions and SMART-commitments
  • Identify relationships between actions/ SMART-commitment's and the CFS recommendations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
  • Discuss ways to network towards common goals, including identifying measurable actions A "Gaining and sharing document" is prepared to facilitate the discussions.

More information available on the Global Action Network webpage

Sign up to the meeting by sending an email to: foodfromtheocean@nfd.dep.no 

Kindly register no later than 1st of March 2019.

Invitation 3rd meeting Global Action Network

 

 

 

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Nutrition News – Issue 1, 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 first issue for 2019 edition includes:

  • Optimizing human health and environmental sustainability
  • Increasing commitments to the Nutrition Decade
  • Outcomes of the International Symposium on Understanding the Double Burden of Malnutrition for Effective Interventions
  • Reinforcing the collective mindset for nutrition in Liberia
  • Burkina Faso's Common Nutrition Narrative emblematic of new climate for increased harmonization of UN support
  • Prime Minister of the Comoros endorses the decision to map nutrition stakeholders and actions following a study visit with Chad
  • Obituary - In memory of Dr. Elisabet Helsing

PUBLICATIONS and a CALENDAR OF NUTRITION RELATED EVENTS

You can access you copy here. Photo credits @WFP Liberia/John Monibah

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4th International Congress Hidden Hunger “Hidden hunger and the transformation of food systems: How to combat the double burden of malnutrition?”

February 27 - March 1, 2019 
University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart (Germany)

The 4th Congress Hidden Hunger is a continuation of the successful, international event series "Congress Hidden Hunger" which started in 2013 in Stuttgart, Germany. As in case of the previous congresses in this series, the 4th Congress Hidden Hunger taking place in 2019 will bring together members of different disciplines: nutritionists, agricultural scientists, economists and sociologists.

The Congress will encourage the dialogue between scientists, policy-makers and representatives of non-governmental organizations and the private sector. It will review the available evidence on the double burden problem, present new research findings on underlying causes and consequences, feature innovative strategies to deal with the problem and discuss the roles and responsibilities of governments, development organizations, civil society and the private sector in combating the double burden of malnutrition. 

Registration & Abstract submission

Deadline for submission of an "Abstract with Scholarship": 16 November 2018

Deadline for submission of an "Abstract without Scholarship": 23 November 2018

Website

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GLOPAN commits to the Nutrition Decade

The Global Panel’s strength is in its foundation – as an independent group of influential experts with a commitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security. Due to the wealth of knowledge and experience of its members, it is able to provide strategic thinking and deep analysis on a variety of emerging issues and present that information through both policy briefs and foresight reports. These evidence-based reports provide the necessary interlinkages when addressing issues of urbanization, consumer behaviour, food environments, food safety, climate change and more.

GLOPAN pledges their support to the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. Their reports act as a contribution to the Nutrition Decade because they provide substantive modelling and trend analysis to help policymakers better understand trends in agriculture and diets and to estimate costs/benefits of new agriculture and food policies. The Global Panel also convenes a High Level Stakeholder Group to ensure the success of the ongoing Foresight 2.0 project by drawing on the strategic and practical advice of the Group members and their influence in policy environments.

Furthermore, they will continue to bring together policymakers from different sectors in the food systems, as well as deliver evidence and tools to encourage and support governments in low- and middle-income countries as they design and implement food and nutrition policies. These efforts will be done in collaboration with international and regional partners.

For further information, we welcome you to read the full commitment here.

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2018 Global Nutrition Report Italy launch

20 February
WFP HQ, Rome (Italy)

At the event we will discuss the key findings of the 2018 Global Nutrition Report, highlighting the many connections across the Sustainable Development Goals for nutrition. The session will be an engaging occasion for sharing insights and commitments regarding nutrition action at all levels.

Please bring with you a smartphone, tablet or laptop to participate in this interactive event.

Speakers include:

  • Senior Representative of the Government of Kenya, SUN Member.
  • Jessica Fanzo, PhD, Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University
  • Anna Lartey, Director, Nutrition, FAO
  • Lauren Landis, Director, Nutrition, WFP
  • Margarita Astralaga, Director of the Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division, IFAD

Register for this event.

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IFPRI Policy Seminar “Transforming food systems to deliver healthy, sustainable diets: The view from the world’s science academies”

14 February 2019
12:15 pm to 1:45 pm (EST)
IFPRI  | 1201 Eye St. NW  | 12th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005

The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of science academies, recently brought together regional networks of science academies from four continents—Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. This project aimed to spark a new global commitment to research the opportunities and challenges facing food and nutrition security and agriculture today.

This seminar will provide details on the scope and priorities of the IAP project, the regional perspectives of participants, and a global synthesis. During the discussion, participants will explore mutual interests in increasing the sciences’ contribution to informed policy development, innovation, and practice.

 

Register here

More info available here

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The First FAO/WHO/AU International Food Safety Conference

12-13 February 2019
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies globally. Foodborne diseases in low- and middle-income countries costs at least US$100 billion a year, with this cost exceeding US$500 million for 28 countries, according to a recent World Bank study. Ongoing changes in climate, global food production and supply systems affect consumers, industry and the planet itself: food safety systems need to keep pace with these changes. The burden of unsafe food disproportionally affects vulnerable and marginalized people and poses sustainability and development challenges. Despite the growing recognition of the fundamental role food safety plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the main objectives of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, efforts to strengthen food safety systems remain fragmented and the gains, particularly in many developing countries, have been well below expectations.

In this pivotal moment, this conference, co-organised by FAO, WHO, WTO and AU, will bring together Ministers and representatives of national governments, senior policy makers as well as representatives of non-state actor groups from all regions of the world to engage in an urgent reflection on food safety challenges to:

  • Identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally.
  • Strengthen commitment at the highest political level to scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the Addis Ababa Conference, priorities will be discussed so that food safety strategies and approaches can be aligned across sectors and borders, reinforcing efforts to reach the SDGs and supporting the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. Strategic actions will be defined through Ministerial panels involving health, trade and agriculture officials and experts thematic sessions covering the topics of:

  • the burden of foodborne diseases and the benefits of investing in safe food;
  • safe and sustainable food systems in an era of accelerated climate change;
  • science, innovation and digital transformation at the service of food safety;
  • empowering consumers to make healthy choices and support sustainable food systems.

The conference will result in a high-level political statement advocating for increased and better coordinated collaboration and support to improve food safety globally.

More info available here

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The First FAO/WHO/AU International Food Safety Conference

12-13 February 2019
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies globally. Foodborne diseases in low- and middle-income countries costs at least US$100 billion a year, with this cost exceeding US$500 million for 28 countries, according to a recent World Bank study. Ongoing changes in climate, global food production and supply systems affect consumers, industry and the planet itself: food safety systems need to keep pace with these changes. The burden of unsafe food disproportionally affects vulnerable and marginalized people and poses sustainability and development challenges. Despite the growing recognition of the fundamental role food safety plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the main objectives of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, efforts to strengthen food safety systems remain fragmented and the gains, particularly in many developing countries, have been well below expectations.

In this pivotal moment, this conference, co-organised by FAO, WHO, WTO and AU, will bring together Ministers and representatives of national governments, senior policy makers as well as representatives of non-state actor groups from all regions of the world to engage in an urgent reflection on food safety challenges to:

  • Identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally.
  • Strengthen commitment at the highest political level to scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the Addis Ababa Conference, priorities will be discussed so that food safety strategies and approaches can be aligned across sectors and borders, reinforcing efforts to reach the SDGs and supporting the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. Strategic actions will be defined through Ministerial panels involving health, trade and agriculture officials and experts thematic sessions covering the topics of:

  • the burden of foodborne diseases and the benefits of investing in safe food;
  • safe and sustainable food systems in an era of accelerated climate change;
  • science, innovation and digital transformation at the service of food safety;
  • empowering consumers to make healthy choices and support sustainable food systems.

The conference will result in a high-level political statement advocating for increased and better coordinated collaboration and support to improve food safety globally.

More info available here

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