FAO. Nordic Statement on FAO's Emergency Interventions in Crises Settings

Mr Chair,

1. I speak on behalf of the five Nordic countries, the EU members; Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as Iceland and my own country Norway. Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway align themselves with the EU statement.
2. The gap between available resources and humanitarian needs keeps increasing. This forces FAO, like other organizations with a humanitarian or dual mandate, to adapt to new funding realities in a time when food insecurity, hunger and even famine are at record high levels. We call on FAO to work constructively with WFP and others to support synergies and reform as part of the UN80 process and the OCHA-led humanitarian reset.
3. We are deeply concerned that the consequences of the decreased funding will only get worse with time. Difficult choices must be made – between those dying from hunger today and those at risk of starvation tomorrow. We know that investments in anticipatory action, resilience, disaster risk reductions and local self-reliance save lives, but also saves resources.
4. For the first time in history, we have two famines at the same time, in Sudan and Gaza. Famine occurs almost exclusively in armed conflict, as a direct consequence of the fighting and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian access. In several conflicts we see signs that starvation might be used as a method of warfare, which is in violation of international humanitarian law.
5. We also see a worrying trend of politization of numbers related to hunger and humanitarian needs. Information from the UN, IPC, and other neutral sources, is questioned, dismissed or even abused by parties to conflict. This sets out a dangerous precedent, which makes it harder, and often dangerous, for humanitarians to conduct their life-saving work. Reliable data is key to effective programming. It is critical to disaggregate data by sex, age and disability.
6. And it has become more dangerous to be a humanitarian. 2024 was the deadliest year on record, with 385 humanitarians killed. In Sudan, only in recent weeks, WFP senior management was expelled from the country. 6 volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent and 3 of 5 WFP-affiliated enumerators in Al Fasher were killed on duty. In Yemen, 54 UN staff are detained, and UN premises, cars and property has been confiscated and occupied. We call for the immediate release of the detained humanitarians in Yemen and remind all parties to conflict of their obligations to adhere to international humanitarian law.
7. Given these challenges, we must increase our efforts to stand up for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law. We have a collective obligation to ensure that lifesaving food support reaches all in need, leaving no one behind, including the most vulnerable.
8. We are deeply saddened by the loss of UN colleagues and other humanitarian actors. We highly appreciate the tireless efforts by FAO staff in high-risk areas.
9. Thank you, Mr Chair, for giving us the opportunity to convey our appreciation for FAO’s important emergency interventions in crisis settings.