The CFS 53 Plenary Session opened a dialogue to examine progress in promoting nutrition within the framework of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition, the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), and the outcomes of the Nutrition for Growth Summit.
In his statement on behalf of the CSIPM, Hamadi Mohamed (Mali/ADJMOR) called for integrating social, environmental and economic justice into the fight against hunger, and denounced the way conflicts and the arms trade exacerbate food insecurity.
He stressed that the Decade of Action on Nutrition must serve as a driver for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting development that is truly sustainable, equitable, and respectful of the environment. He reminded delegates that the struggle against hunger and malnutrition cannot be separated from just governance, the reduction of social inequalities and environmental protection, underscoring that living in dignity and free from poverty is a fundamental human right.
Statement of the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) delivered by Hamadi Mohamed during agenda item IX of the 53rd Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) on “Fostering momentum and commitment for nutrition.”
The members of our Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) are following this 53rd Session of the Committee on World Food Security and Nutrition with great interest.
To respond to one of your questions on the role of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, from our perspective, its role is to drive progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
We note with great hope the many encouraging statements made by Member States, by the various partners supporting the CFS, and the strong endorsement of its products and its importance within the international architecture for achieving the SDGs.
The CSIPM considers that attentive listening is essential for sustaining relationships, because such relationships, grounded in mutual respect, make dialogue possible and create the conditions for collective action.
We are also aware of the many constraints and realities undermining the efforts of actors in certain regions, where the majority of vulnerable people live — those who face major barriers in accessing food — including poor governance, corruption, injustice, political instability, insecurity and drought.
Let us not forget that all resources can be depleted, even hope. To live in dignity and free from poverty is a fundamental human right. And the struggle to overcome underdevelopment is a responsibility we all share so that development may become a common good.
Sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
In the context of strengthening the economy, sustainable development integrates three dimensions and must take into account several key challenges, which it is important to recall:
- Economic (involving efficiency and profitability): finding a fair balance between profit and sustainable environmental management.
- Social (social responsibility): meeting the needs of populations while reducing social inequalities and respecting different cultures.
- Environmental (environmental responsibility): maintaining long-term ecological balance by limiting our impact on the environment.
Among the other major challenges of sustainable development, we can note:
- Social challenges
• Reducing inequalities
• Access to fundamental rights
• Access to employment
• Decent work
• Human rights: cultural, economic, political and religious rights
- Environmental challenges
•Prevention and management of risks (natural, technological and health-related)
• Preservation of water resources
• Climate change
• Energy savings and the development of renewable energies
• Protection of biodiversity and ecosystems
• Preservation of non-renewable resources and sustainable use of natural resources
• Waste reduction and recovery
- Economic and societal challenges
• Demography
• Urban mobility
• Strengthening links between the education/academic system and enterprises
• Balancing work and personal life
In conclusion, it is worth recalling that the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda are interconnected and indivisible. Achieving any single SDG requires taking into account its relationship with each of the 16 others. Every SDG is directly and indirectly affected by the others.
Because the environment cuts across all other domains, it is affected by all forms of human activity. This led, decades ago, the United Nations system to make environmental considerations mandatory in all development projects and programmes submitted for international financing. This United Nations recommendation is at risk of being neglected or forgotten by many development planners.
The Zero Hunger goal, like many others, will be extremely difficult — if not impossible — to achieve as long as our planning processes overlook the environmental challenges that undermine them.
Our peoples in certain regions suffer under the triple burden of the negative effects of climate change, poor governance with its accompanying conflicts, insecurity and poverty.
Finally, with all the respect we have for States, we urge the countries that develop partnerships to supply arms to other States under the pretext of sovereignty to reconsider their position, because these weapons are being used to exterminate peaceful, unarmed civilian populations who seek only to live on their ancestral lands. This flow of weapons fuels centres of tension, generating instability and displacing populations who then end up in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, lacking food, healthcare and ultimately losing their well-being.
Thank you for your attention.