I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway). (We align ourselves with the EU statement TBC).
We are deeply concerned by the projection of a more than doubling of people facing catastrophic levels of hunger, the highest point on the food insecurity scale (IPC5), from 705 000 in 2023 to 1.9 million people in 2024.
This is a staggering number, and our concern is compounded by the recent Hunger Hotspots Report, which warns that acute food insecurity is expected to worsen across 16 hunger hotspots between November 2024 to May 2025.
Famine occurs almost exclusively in areas of armed conflict, where humanitarian actors are prevented from access, and starvation is used as a method of warfare, in violation of international humanitarian law, thus man-made and avoidable.
In late July, the Famine Review Committee confirmed famine in the Zamzam IDP camp in Sudan. This is the first famine determination by the Committee in more than 7 years and the third since the monitoring system began 20 years ago. More than 750 000 Sudanese people are classified in IPC 5, and access to the hunger hotspots remains deliberately hampered. It is intolerable that Zamzam remains severely challenged with regards to physical access for the UN and most other humanitarian actors. We cannot be idle bystanders to an ongoing famine.
In the face of such disasters, we must escalate our efforts for safe humanitarian access, and respect for international humanitarian law. We have a collective obligation to ensure that lifesaving food supplies reach all people in need.
We express grave concern about the global humanitarian situation, including in Palestine and Sudan, but also Haiti, Mali, South Sudan and other hotspots where conflict is the major driver, in the Middle East - Lebanon, Syria, Yemen; in Africa – Chad, Mozambique, Nigeria; in Asia – in Afghanistan and Myanmar. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has also led to more food insecurity in the world.
We are appalled by the multiple accounts by the UN and others of attacks on humanitarian actors. We commend the tireless work conducted by FAO staff in Gaza and other high-risk areas and are deeply appreciative of their efforts
The Nordic countries appreciate the presentation of FAO’s emergency agriculture interventions, FAO’s role and work is crucial.
While the presentation gives an overview of FAOs approach and principles for working in crisis settings, with examples from the country level, it would be useful with more information on how FAO sees its advantages and complementarity with WFP and other actors in the UN and humanitarian cluster system.
We believe FAO has a key role in the humanitarian-development-climate-peace nexus, through collaborative action with the RBAs and the wider UN system.
We encourage FAO to continue its work on agriculture, food systems and food production in emergencies and we call on other member states to make financial contributions to the Special Fund for Emergency Activities (SFERA).
We recognize the complexities and risks associated with operating in conflict settings and look forward to more information regarding the challenges FAO encounter when operating in such settings.
We encourage FAO to continue monitoring the rising levels of global food insecurity, and to provide regular updates, recommendations, and technical advice to support countries’ efforts towards improved food security.
Thank you, Mr Chair, for giving us the opportunity to convey our appreciation for FAO’s important emergency interventions in crisis settings.