Blog of Liliana Mosca, SI UN Representative to the FAO, Rome 

The High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) on Thursday, June 15, 2023, launched its flagship report on “Reducing inequalities for food security and nutrition”.

The launch event featured a welcome address by QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General, an Opening remark by Gabriel Ferrero y de Loma-Osorio, CFS Chairperson, followed by an introduction to the report by Bernard Lehmann, Chairperson of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition.

The content and main findings of the report were presented by Bhavani Shankar, the HLPE-FSN drafting team leader. Ismahane Elouafi, the Chief Scientist of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), delivered the concluding address.

This new UN report highlights how inequalities cause hunger and how actions for change in food systems are urgently needed.

Despite significant progress in reducing global poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition over the past decades, the world continues to grapple with the alarming increase in hunger. Famine and food insecurity threaten the lives of nearly a billion people worldwide and the number of people living in food insecurity is increasing.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Bernard Lehmann explained that the release of this report calls for immediate action to address the underlying drivers of food security and nutrition inequalities. It serves as a critical resource for policymakers, stakeholders and organisations working to eradicate hunger and improve nutrition outcomes.

The report identifies eight principles (for action (see image) and a set of practical recommendations for States, inter-governmental organisations, the private sector and civil society, including:

• Work across sectors to enable more equitable access to resources, applying rights-based approaches.
• Facilitate the organisation of disadvantaged stakeholders and build inclusive institutions and partnerships to improve representation.
• Make equity-sensitive investments in supply chains and in disadvantaged areas.
• Plan and govern food trade, retail, processing and food environments with an equity focus.
• Ensure universal access to services and resources that have a direct impact on FSN.
• Embed an equity focus into trade, investment and debt governance related to FSN.
• Leveraging SDG 10: ‘Reduce inequalities’
• Take into account the context of climate, ecological, political and economic crises in all FSN-related actions.
• Strengthen data and knowledge systems

“By embracing its findings and recommendations, the report contributed to global efforts towards achieving food security and improving overall well-being, leaving no one behind”, Bernard Lehmann stated.

The release of this report has been described as a wake-up call, demanding immediate action to confront the root causes of food security and nutrition inequalities.

The report “Reducing inequalities for food security and nutrition” will be presented at the 51st plenary session of the CFS in October 2023.