UN launches new Food Coalition: Know what is it all about?

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has formally launched the Food Coalition, an international coalition to address COVID-19 impact on food systems and agriculture worldwide.

Food Coalition was first proposed by Italy and its establishment was first announced by the United Nations in June. As of now, at least 30 countries have joined the international movement. 

.@FAO, Italy & many other countries have come together to form the #FoodCoalition to limit the effects of #COVID19 on food systems.

Here is @Quirinale President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, message 👇 pic.twitter.com/CUtBuoacXZ

— FAO (@FAO) November 6, 2020

What is UN's Food Coalition?

The UN's Food Coalition is a voluntary multi-stakeholder and multi-sector alliance that will support innovative initiatives to ensure global food access to prevent potential food crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The #FoodCoalition means facing the #COVID19 pandemic together to avoid this health crisis becoming a food crisis.

Here is @FAODG's message on the global alliance 👇

More info 👉 https://t.co/xf5E70aTu7 pic.twitter.com/BOOLt1REnW

— FAO (@FAO) November 6, 2020

COVID-19 triggers food crisis

•As per the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, the COVID-19 pandemic has potentially triggered a food crisis. The FAO added saying that an additional 132 million people may suffer chronic hunger by the end of 2020 due to the effects of the pandemic. This figure is in addition to the 690 million people who suffered from chronic hunger in 2019. This highlights the major challenge that the COVID-19 pandemic poses to the UN’s goal to eradicate hunger by 2030. 

Conflict, economic decline, climate extremes & the #COVID19 pandemic are driving people further into hunger - according to @FAO & @WFP analysis.

Learn more 👉https://t.co/pFuhJyZCGT pic.twitter.com/2HZ9q2JxGz

— FAO (@FAO) November 6, 2020

•The FAO also claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term effects on food security, affecting production, farmers’ health and access to markets, rural jobs and livelihoods, triggering decreasing food supply and demand in rural and urban areas alike. 

• Farmers have already been reporting a huge spike in food losses due to market disruptions and reduced demand. This will affect people’s access to diverse and nutritional diets around the globe, especially in countries with high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.

How will the Food Coalition work?

The Food Coalition will support existing and future efforts to overcome the pandemic’s disruptive impacts and help countries get back on track to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly its goal of ending hunger and poverty. 

The alliance includes a devoted trust fund and a web page that will allow the participants to access a range of project-focused information and data, as well as the funding needed for on-the-ground projects.

“We must increase the exchange of knowledge and leverage global momentum to promote food security and nutrition, said FAO Director General Qu Dongyu."

"The intent of #FoodCoalition is to help countries prevent the health crisis from becoming a food security crisis, through the mobilization of public opinion, technical skills, resources & promotion of innovation." -- @FAODG QU Dongyu.

👉🏾https://t.co/QyDGVnhm2e pic.twitter.com/RPlqam1r0d

— FAO4Members (@FAO4Members) November 5, 2020

Objective

The Food Coalition aims to build a global alliance with a large network of governments, international organisations, leaders, experts of all kinds, civil societies and the private sector working together for unified global action.