Context

Taking cognisance of the catastrophic food crisis and the urgency to tackle it, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched a Food Coalition.

About

• Food Coalition is a voluntary multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral alliance.
• Proposed by Italy and led by FAO, the global alliance aims to help countries get back on track to achieve the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, especially the ones on ending hunger and poverty.
• More than 30 countries have already expressed interest in joining the coalition.

How would the coalition work?

• The alliance would work as a network of networks and a multi-stakeholder coalition for a unified global action to support measures to ensure food access and increase the resilience of agricultural food systems in response to COVID-19.
• The Food Coalition would work towards:
  • Mobilising resources, expertise and innovation
  • Advocating for a joint and coordinated COVID-19 response
  • Promoting dialogue and exchange of knowledge and expertise among countries
  • Working towards solution-oriented plans and programmes
  • Expanding international cooperation and partnership for a longer term impact

Key-highlights of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, 2020 The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has pulled food systems apart, threatening food security and nutrition. At least 690 million people went hungry in 2019. Now, the pandemic could tip over 130 million more people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020.