The President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the Chairperson of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) co-convened a high-level special event to foster coordinated global policy responses to the current food crisis, “supported by – and in support of – the Secretary-General’s Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy, and Finance.”

Participants representing Member States, the UN system, civil society, the private sector, academia, and other stakeholders shared initiatives and discussed strategies and policy options to identify emerging areas of convergence in addressing the global food crisis.

Highlighting the findings of the 2022 report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2022) and the World Bank’s recent estimates “that the conflict in Ukraine will plunge an additional 95 million people into extreme poverty, and 50 million into severe hunger,” UNGA President Abdulla Shahid called the situation “critical.” He said “[w]e must collectively mobilize to alleviate global hunger and malnutrition, and address the factors that cause them,” and urged “a deeper commitment to multilateralism” as “only together can we alleviate hunger and malnutrition, and the ongoing crises and inequalities that contribute to these ills.”

Only together can we alleviate hunger and malnutrition, and the ongoing crises and inequalities that contribute to these ills.

Recognizing “the interconnectedness of today’s challenges,” he called for approaching food security as “part of a broader multilateral agenda” by scaling up climate resilience and strengthening food environments while at the same time taking action to stop conflicts and pandemics that disrupt supply chains, repair our relationship with nature, secure sustainable agriculture, and strengthen the global institutions working to alleviate poverty and hunger.

Shahid stressed the need to prioritize food security in least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing States (SIDS) whose citizens are disproportionately affected by the rising food prices. 

In a video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned participants of “a real risk of multiple famines this year.” He called for “bold and coordinated policy responses,” such as:

• reintegrating Ukraine’s food production, and Russia’s food and fertilizer, into world markets;
• keeping global trade open;
• tackling the finance crisis in the developing world by unlocking resources to enhance social protection and support for smallholders to increase productivity and self-reliance; and
• transforming food systems to ensure affordable, healthy, and sustainable diets for everyone.

Themed, ‘Time to Act Together: Coordinating Policy Responses to the Global Food Crisis,’ the event took place at the UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 18 July. It convened shortly after the 2022 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development concluded with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration where governments reaffirmed their commitment to “international cooperation, multilateralism and international solidarity” to address food insecurity, among other urgent global challenges. [Letter from UNGA President] [UN News Story]