UN summit tackles 'failing' global food system
UN officials and world leaders at a UN summit have issued an urgent warning over the future of the global food system, and pledged to work together to ensure it remains sustainable and equitable for future generations.Speaking at the UN World Food Systems Summit 2021, Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the UN, said that our food systems are "failing."
The summit, attended by Arab News, is taking place at the same time as the UN General Assembly and is designed to kickstart a global effort to "leverage the power of food systems to drive our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and get us back on track to achieve all 17 sustainable development goals by 2030."
Mohammed said: "Let's consider that, every day, over 800 million people are hungry. Or that millions of children are starving, while nearly a third of all food produced is lost or wasted. And this waste, today, is worth over $1 trillion."
She added: "Three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. At the same time, 2 billion men, women and children are overweight or obese. Our current consumption patterns are expected to generate over another $1 trillion in diet-related health costs."
She added: "Put simply, our food systems are failing to deliver what we need for our people and the impact that they are having on the planet."However, Mohammed said that "through sustainable food production systems, it is possible to feed a growing global population while protecting our planet. But this can only happen when we work together."
According to a World Bank report released earlier this year, agriculture contributes 19-29 percent of the world's entire greenhouse gas emissions, and so an urgent reform of that system, which produces food to the detriment of the planet, is much needed.
