- We face a deep crisis for millions of vulnerable people who rely heavily on emergency aid and development assistance for adequate food and nutrition needs.
- Donor funding to WFP and the other indispensable UN pillars of the global humanitarian system is under great pressure, in part due to our urgent need to support national defense and Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.
- And there are so far few signs that gaps left by western donors are being filled by any non-traditional donors.
- So, to avoid worst-case scenarios, starvation and instability, governments must prioritize their public domestic resources for food and nutrition, social protection, school meals and other support for vulnerable people, as well as sustainable agriculture – as Brazil and others have shown.
- And national governments must step up to create predictable and attractive legal frameworks for private investments in agriculture and food systems, protecting property and land rights, also for women, small-holders and family farmers.
- We must scale up new blended and other innovative mechanisms for finance – including de-risking funds, such as FASA, which Norway, USA, UKA and South Korea have launched. This is how to do more with more: domestic and private funding.
- ODA must also be used more efficiently, with policy integration of nutrition and food security in all relevant sectors, food production and value chains, health, school, infrastructure and social protection. We trust the World Bank and the UN system to engage.
- Norway continues to allocate 1% of GDP to ODA, including a significant share for food and nutrition security. We call all member states to step up humanitarian, development and climate finance, in support of critical global public goods as well as the most vulnerable people.
- We must ensure that all investments support the progressive realization of the right to food. Norway welcomes the reference to Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems and other relevant CFS products, that address all stakeholders and apply to all stages of the value chain.
- We stress the importance of sound policies and institutional frameworks that support small-scale and family farmers. Strong farmers associations, cooperatives and involvement of stakeholders in decision making are keys to ensure that investments are aligned with farmer’s needs. Investments in the empowerment of women is needed to close the gender gap in food systems.
CFS 53. High-level Forum on Strengthening Responsible Investment and Financing for Food Security and Nutrition.
Statement held by Special Envoy for Climate and Food Initiatives (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Paul Gulleik Larsen.
| Rome, Italy