Where can the FAO go wrong?

In this unit or Food for Thought, I experienced tasting, smelling, and feeling coffee beans. Although I did like it, it opened my eyes up to the deeper meanings of coffee getting a sense of what coffee is, deeper than just plain old coffee beans. One other thing I experienced was going on a FE to Metropolis. I learned where coffee beans come from and where certain types of coffee are made where they come from. For this unit, we made a version of a UN position paper that focused on SDG 2 zero hunger. We all chose our own target to report on, I chose SDG 2.4 - ensure sustainable food production systems. Here is my script.

Script: 

The FAO 12th Annual Conference on Food Crisis.

On behalf of the representatives of the United States of America, I Ambassador, Marshal, am glad to address this esteemed commission. For as long as we can remember, food has always been important and beneficial to the survivability of humans. An estimated 811 million people went hungry last year, and the world has witnessed a dramatic rise in food insecurity in 2021, driven by conflict and climate change, and the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. From Ethiopia to Yemen, we can address acute malnutrition and save lives if unhindered humanitarian access is provided. The war in Ukraine is creating a new layer of global food crisis placed on top of existing crises stemming from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple conflicts and prolonged crises, deep inequalities, and climate change. We, the world’s most powerful body of collective nations, must band together to fix these issues. We met not so long ago to set international guidelines for the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). These may not have been legally binding, but all of us are expected to put frameworks in place to achieve those goals. Like our forefathers before us, we’ve all been selected to represent the interests of our countries, and the world alike. 

Let’s look at where isolationism has gotten us in the past. Two world wars. Seventy million dead. Never again can we go back to those dark times when fear and hatred, like a contagion, contaminated the world. That, as much as ending the threat of world hunger, is what today is about. The choice to speak before the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is an important reminder that the global fight against hunger requires action on many fronts and involves many important institutions, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) chief among them.  The CFS plays a unique and essential role in improving global coordination of food security issues, strengthening efforts to address some of the most critical issues. You know, President Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms are a testament to our nation’s unmatched aspirations and a reminder of our unfinished work at home and abroad. It’s not 1941, 1993, or even 2009. We face so many great challenges in our economy and our democracy. We’re still working our way around a crisis that happened because false promises replaced time-tested values. I know that you always don't get a lot of credit and recognition for what you do, and you do deserve it. You know, there are not a lot of newspaper headlines about how millions of people go hungry every day, while this organization is striving to overcome these demands. Well, those who have been in this business for a while know that this is not always the case. You may remember when the kids in your school lived a life that kept most of them healthy.  They went back and forth between schools, ran around during breaks and PE classes, and played outside for hours after school. Many children ate home-cooked food, and many saw it before they were served fruits and vegetables. This body has rallied with IDA and IBRD to properly coordinate and improve food security and stability. These are The World Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) established by the G20 in response to the 2007-2008 food crisis. We are already active in the poorest countries through many associations represented here today. The World Bank also hosts Food System 2030, a multi-donor trust fund. This helps countries strengthen their food systems to achieve their short-term and long-term goals. When we teach people to value and prepare healthy foods, we provide them with disease prevention education. Solving world hunger will not happen overnight, but it can have life-changing consequences if it is funded by the right institutions and the money spent on the right practices.

You’re probably wondering how can we combat this? My delegation has explored deep into these issues and, the same solution kept recurring. One solution that we can put forward to find a solution to this common problem is, starting with social change. This is very difficult and does not happen overnight. Nevertheless, many social problems, such as war, are causing fundamental problems to stop hunger in the world. Ideally, this happens when world powers like the United States and many Western countries choose to focus on solving these problems rather than worsening them. This can only be started if people in developed countries also address these issues and pressure the other countries to be productive in ending the conflict. 

Combating overpopulation. Contraceptive education and high fertility can cause problems when it comes to resolving world hunger. Many people are not educated about reproduction or have no access to contraceptives. Access to abortion methods enables family planning and financial freedom. The rising population of the world poses a particular threat to these issues. Human error has been the result of these issues. Along with rising carbon emissions, humans play an important role in that, from driving our cars to heating our homes. Apart from water, food is our most important resource, it is essential to our existence. To produce enough food to sustain the planet’s population, it is estimated that 52.8 million gallons of water per second are required of our total water consumption, and food accounts for roughly 66%. Although in principle enough food is produced around the world to feed more than enough of the global population.  While according to Unicef 2019, more than 820 million people go hungry each year. Factors which contribute to hunger are strongly related to overpopulation and poverty. 

My third and final proposition is we need to combat climate change. Climate change plays a pivotal role in how we as humans are able to function. We must treat climate change as an immediate threat, just as we must treat the connected crises of nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, as immediate threats. The biggest threat that we are facing today is Climate change. It's very detrimental if we don't tackle it then its outcomes are fatal. We need to pay attention to important things, and the activities that cause them. We need to enhance our resilience to its effects. As of today, Nic Lughadha documented that 571 species had been wiped out since 1750 due to climate change, although the true number was likely to be much higher. Climate change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food, and influence food quality. For example, projected gains in temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, changes in extreme weather events, and reductions in water availability may all result in reduced agricultural productivity. 

My esteemed colleagues, I stand before you, with the hope of my forefathers. We are the only ones who can fix this. Our countries have agreed over and over again with accords, treaties, COPs, and collective agreements. Now is the time to fix this, there is no getting around this. It is time to act, our actions today determine the life our children after us will have. This is what I charge all of you to do. It is time to stand up, and fight for what we know is right. Let us end world hunger once and for all.  It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit written in history books yet to be printed will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity, and that you answered the call of those future generations

Thank you all. 

May we all truly be United Nations.

Citations: 

“Oxfam Reaction to Hillary Clinton's Speech at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, 6 May 2011.” Oxfam International, 18 May 2014, https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/oxfam-reaction-hillary-clintons-speech-un-food-and-agriculture-organization-rome-6.

Hillary Clinton on AG and Rural Issues - Agri-Pulse. https://www.agri-pulse.com/ext/resources/pdfs/h/i/l/e/s/Hillary-Clinton-on-Ag-and-Rural-issues.pdf. 

“Coordinated Policy Response Is Needed to Address the New Layer of Global Food Crisis Raised by War in Ukraine - World.” ReliefWeb, https://reliefweb.int/report/world/coordinated-policy-response-needed-address-new-layer-global-food-crisis-raised-war.