Norwegian Minister of International Development launches action plan on sustainable food systems at UN General Assembly
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Published under: Solberg's Government
Publisher: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press release | Date: 25/09/2019
‘It is unacceptable that more than 820 million people are struggling to find enough to eat and that one in five children under five are chronically malnourished. In order to fight hunger and achieve food security, we must change both our mindset and the way we work,’ said Dag-Inge Ulstein, Norwegian Minister of International Development.
Mr Ulstein launched Norway’s action plan on sustainable food systems at the UN today. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), Ireland, and the World Economic Forum co-hosted the event. Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Amina Mohammed, participated. The action plan is based on the 2030 Agenda and it takes a holistic approach. Seven Norwegian ministries were involved in drawing up the action plan.
‘Conflict and climate change are both to blame for the fact that the number of hungry and malnourished people is rising. Hunger and food shortages undermine sustainable development, peace and stability. If the international community is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it is essential that there is enough food to feed the world’s population,’ said Mr Ulstein.
The overall objective of the action plan is to ensure greaterfood security through the development of sustainable food systems. The four thematic focus areas are food production;value creation and markets; nutrition and diet; and policy and governance.
‘We will target our efforts towards small-scale farmers and fishermen, with a particular focus on the least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa. We have already developed strong partnerships with Malawi and Ethiopia,’ said Mr Ulstein.
The action plan is unique, in the sense that Norway is one of the first countries in the world to have prepared a plan on sustainable food systems in the context of its foreign and development policy.