Tag: Sustainable Development Goals

UNEP oceans advocate Lewis Pugh on epic Hudson swim to highlight importance of river health — Global Issues

The 315-mile swim, roughly 507 kilometres, will take him from the river’s source in the Adirondack Mountains to where it meets the Atlantic Ocean in New York City, home to UN Headquarters.

Mr. Pugh headed for the Hudson on Wednesday and expects to complete the journey shortly before 20 September, when nations will begin ratifying the high seas treaty, aimed at protecting biodiversity in international waters.

The UN’s 193 Member States adopted the landmark legally binding agreement in June, following nearly two decades of fierce negotiations.

Clean rivers, healthy planet

“If we want healthy oceans we also need healthy rivers — it’s that simple,” he said recently. “Clean rivers are essential in the fight for global sustainability; indeed, our very existence depends on fresh water, clean air, and a habitable planet.”

An accomplished endurance swimmer, Mr. Pugh has braved some of the most challenging environments on Earth, including the Antarctic, the North Pole, the Red Sea, and the Himalayas.

The United Kingdom native was also the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world. The Hudson River swim is expected to take four weeks, making it his longest.

“I specifically chose the Hudson for this swim because of the environmental progress that’s been made on the iconic waterway in recent years,” he said. “Much work is still required, but tangible improvements have been made, setting an example for restoring rivers around the world.”

Rocks, rapids and waterfalls

Mr. Pugh will make the swim unassisted, meaning that he will only be wearing a Speedo, cap and goggles. In comparison, assisted swimmers use equipment such as a wetsuit, snorkel, gloves, flippers and hand paddles.

His journey of 315 miles will begin with small steps at the Hudson River’s source, Lake Tear of the Clouds, located high in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York state. Along the way he will encounter dramatic topological shifts, powerful river currents, and potentially toxic sewage runoffs during heavy rains.

“The Hudson is truly majestic, but, like most rivers, it begins with a trickle in fairly rough terrain, so this swim will actually have to begin on foot to negotiate rocks and very dense vegetation,” he explained.

“That terrain quickly evolves into white water rapids and waterfalls that demand respect, so my expedition team and I are studying every twist and turn of the river keenly.”

Strength, stamina, perseverance

Mr. Pugh said he will hike and run around any rapids which are unswimmable, and the plan is to swim an average of 10 miles, or 16 km per day, depending on conditions.

He will also start the swim wearing UNEP’s logo, agency chief Inger Andersen wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Expressing pride, she wished him “strength, stamina and perseverance” for the weeks ahead.

Mr. Pugh, 53, worked as a maritime lawyer in London before becoming a full-time ocean advocate. He was appointed UNEP’s first Patron of the Oceans in 2013.

“Refuse, sewage, chemical and plastic waste don’t just pollute rivers and harm the species that live in them; these contaminants are carried on to the sea where they do more damage,” Ms. Andersen said recently.

“Just as we must keep our own arteries unclogged for our health, we must keep the planet’s arteries unclogged for its health.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

July 2023 was the warmest on record — Global Issues

“The global average temperature for July 2023 is confirmed to be the highest on record for any month,” said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director at the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The month is estimated to have been around 1.5C warmer than the average for 1815 to 1900, so the average for pre-industrial times.”

Briefing journalists in Geneva, Ms. Burgess noted that July had been marked by heatwaves “in multiple regions around the world”.

Based on data analysis known as proxy records, which include cave deposits, calcifying organisms, coral and shells, the Copernicus scientist added that it “has not been this warm for the last 120,000 years”.

Records were also broken for global sea surface temperatures, after “unusually high” temperatures this April that led to the ocean surface warming in July to some 0.51C above the 1991-2020 average.

From the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Chris Hewitt, Director of Climate Services, pointed to the agency’s prediction in May that there was a “98 per cent likelihood” that one of the next five years will be one of the warmest on record. He also reiterated that while there was a 66 per cent chance that the 1.5C threshold above the pre-industrial value will be exceeded in this timeframe, this will likely be a “temporary” change.

Temporary or not, any such increase will have “dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events”, Ms. Burgess warned. “It shows the urgency for ambitious efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main driver behind these records.”

WMO’s Mr. Hewitt said that it was also important to note that 2015 to 2022 were the “eight warmest years” according to readings going back at least 170 years, despite prevailing La Niña conditions in the Pacific ocean that “tend to reign in the global average temperature and suppress them slightly”.

The WMO added that “the long-term warming trend is driven by continued increases in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” which have all reached record observed highs.

“The warmest year on record so far was 2016 and that particular year was associated with a very strong El Niño event on top of the long-term warming of the climate system,” he explained.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Rising above floods in Viet Nam — Global Issues

Extreme weather between October and November of 2020, highlighted the vulnerability of the inhabitants of the city of Huế in central Viet Nam to flooding.

City resident Nguyễn Văn Tia told UN News how his family was impacted by the flooding and has benefited from the FloodAdaptVN programme coordinated by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

“During the 2020 floods, the water rose very quickly. Within a few hours, my house was flooded by up to half a metre. All the homes in the neighbourhood were full of water. We tried to keep property and people safe by relocating the elderly and children to higher floors where there were tables and chairs for them to sit on. We suffered great damage like collapsed houses and the loss of possessions.

After 2020, we experienced floods again but now local people in this region are very active when storms and flooding occur. In our ward, a team for storm and flood prevention was established.

Together with the local authorities, the team distributes life-saving equipment like boats, life jackets, and outboard motors. Families that live in lower areas can relocate to higher buildings to avoid flood and storm impacts.

Prevention measures

Residents are very aware of flood risks now. As soon as a flood warning comes in, we evacuate. We also help each other and evacuate the most vulnerable people first.

The team also reminds everyone to protect their houses. Two years ago, my son built a highly elevated house for us to live in. If he would not have done that, I would have added an attic to the house we lived in before. Because of the elevated foundation compared to 1999, the water in my house did not rise nearly as high in more recent flooding occurrences.

Nobody in our area lost their life in the 2020 floods. We were warned in time by local media, as well as by mass media such as television broadcasts. It enabled us to prepare for the flood risk in advance. Afterwards, we cleaned up the surrounding environment to prevent waterborne diseases to keep people from falling sick, or even dying.

© UNICEF/Linh Pham

Typhoon Molave caused widespread damage in 2020.

Every year I prepare for floods in advance; I know we will be safe when storms bring floods in the years to come.”

Increasing urban flood resilience with FloodAdaptVN:

  • FloodAdaptVN aims to reduce current and future flood risks through the implementation of adaptation strategies into flood risk management.
  • It works with communities to build awareness on how to mitigate their exposure to extreme weather events.
  • UNU-EHS and its partners conduct research to better understand the impact of flooding on people, their livelihoods, and public infrastructure

Read more here about the project

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Black Sea deal collapse sparks rise in global food prices: FAO — Global Issues

The UN agency has issued its latest Food Price Index (FPI), which tracks the monthly international prices of cereals, vegetable oil, dairy, meat and sugar.

The Index averaged 123.9 points in July, up 1.3 per cent from June, driven by an increase in vegetable oil and rice prices.

End of a lifeline

FAO’s Vegetable Oil Price Index registered a 12.1 per cent jump in July after seven months of consecutive declines.

Sunflower oil prices rebounded by 15 per cent due to uncertainties sparked by Russia’s decision to pull out of the Black Sea Initiative on grain and fertilizer exports.

The UN-brokered deal, together with a parallel accord between the UN and Russia, provided a lifeline for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiralling food costs, including in countries such as Afghanistan and Ethiopia.

Wheat prices rise

The Cereal Price Index declined by 0.5 per cent in June. This was largely the result of two factors: a nearly five per cent drop in coarse grain quotations due to increased seasonal supplies of maize from Argentina and Brazil, and potentially higher-than-anticipated production in the United States.

However, wheat prices rose for the first time in nine months due to uncertainty over exports from Ukraine and continued dry conditions in North America.

Meanwhile, rice prices increased by 2.8 per cent in July and by almost 20 per cent over the past year after India prohibited exports. FAO warned that the move “raises substantial food security concerns for a large swathe of the world population, especially those that are most poor and who dedicate a larger share of their incomes to purchase food”.

The Sugar Price Index declined by nearly four per cent, the result of good progress in Brazil’s sugarcane harvest, improved rains across most growing areas in India, and subdued demand from Indonesia and China, the world’s top importers.

There was also a 0.4 per cent slide in the Dairy Price Index, which is more than 20 per cent below the July 2022 value. Similarly, meat prices dropped 0.3 per cent since June.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

UNESCO calls for global ban on smartphones in schools — Global Issues

UNESCO’s report on technology in education urges countries to carefully consider how technology is used in schools.

It emphasises the need for a “human-centered vision” where digital technology serves as a tool rather than taking precedence.

Speaking to UN News, UNESCO’s Manos Antoninis also warned of the danger of data leaks in educational tech, as only 16 per cent of countries guarantee data privacy in the classroom, by law.

Abuse of data

“We know that vast amounts of data are being used without the appropriate regulation, so this data ends up being used for other non-educational purposes, commercial purposes and that’s of course a violation of rights that needs to be regulated.”

The UNESCO report also highlights the disparities created by digital learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, half a billion students worldwide were left out due to the shift to online-only tuition.

Geographically, the report noted a significant imbalance in online resources favouring Europe and North America.

UNESCO is urging countries to set their own standards for the way technology is designed and used in education such that it never replaces in-person, teacher-led instruction and supports the shared objective of quality education for all.

Huge potential

“The digital revolution holds immeasurable potential but, just as warnings have been voiced for how it should be regulated in society, similar attention must be paid to the way it is used in education,” warned UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

“Its use must be for enhanced learning experiences and for the well-being of students and teachers, not to their detriment.”

The report, Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? was launched at an event in Montevideo, Uruguay hosted by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay, with additional support from the Ceibal Foundation and 18 ministers of education from around the world. It proposes four questions that policymakers and educators should reflect upon as educational technology becomes increasingly accessible and utilized around the globe.

Appropriate use

The first question focuses on the appropriate use of technology in class. Disabled children who may struggle in a traditional, in-person setting may also benefit from the option of technological assistance.

“The opportunities it has opened up are incredible, and we are always amazed by the new windows this opens for learners,” said Manos Antoninis, the Director responsible for producing the report.

“We need to learn about our past mistakes when using technology in education so that we do not repeat them in the future,” said Mr. Antoninis.

“We need to teach children to live both with and without technology; to take what they need from the abundance of information, but to ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support, but never supplant human interactions in teaching and learning,” he added.

Equal opportunitie

The rapid shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic left out an estimated 500 million students worldwide, mostly affecting those in marginalized, rural communities.

The report underlines that the right to education is increasingly synonymous with the right to meaningful connectivity, yet one in four primary schools do not have electricity. It calls for all countries to set benchmarks for connecting schools to the Internet between now and 2030, and for the primary focus to remain on these marginalized communities.

Is it scalable?

There’s a lack of impartial evidence concerning the added value of tech. Most evidence comes from the United States, where the What Works Clearinghouse pointed out that less than two per cent of education interventions assessed had “strong or moderate evidence of effectiveness.”

The evolution of technology is putting strain on education systems to adapt, UNESCO argues. Digital literacy and critical thinking are increasingly important, particularly with the growth of generative AI.

Additional data in the report shows that this adaptation movement has begun: 54 per cent of countries surveyed have outlined skills they want to develop for the future, but only 11 out of 51 governments surveyed have curricula for AI.

“Let’s not forget that to be able to navigate the digital world, we don’t necessarily need very sophisticated skills. Those who have the best reading skills are those least likely to be duped by a phishing email, for instance,” said Mr. Antoninis.

Moreover, teachers also need appropriate training yet only half of countries currently have standards for developing educators’ information and communication technology skills. Even fewer have teacher training programmes covering cybersecurity, despite five per cent of ransomware attacks targeting education.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

‘Disaster emergency’ in Asia-Pacific, warns ESCAP — Global Issues

According to a new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in 2022 alone, over 140 disasters struck the region, leading to over 7,500 deaths.

They impacted 64 million people, and caused economic damage estimated at $57 billion.

Under a 2°C warming scenario, the ESCAP projects an increase in deaths and potential economic losses of more than $1 trillion, if there is no adequate response.

“As temperatures continue to rise, new disaster hotspots are emerging, and existing ones are intensifying,” Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, said.

“A disaster emergency is underway, and we must fundamentally transform our approach to building resilience.”

Adaptation targets

The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2023, ESCAP’s flagship study on the changing patterns of disasters, their impacts, and building resilience, was launched at its Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction, which convenes governments, experts and stakeholders in the region.

This year it’s targeting transformative adaptation, to better safeguard vulnerable households and livelihoods in disaster-prone hotspots, ESCAP said.

The Committee is also expected to endorse a regional strategy to have early warning services up and running for all by 2027, in line with the UN Secretary-General’s pledge.

Harnessing innovation

New and evolving technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud sourcing, also have a major role to play.

They are “very important and very strategic” for mitigating disaster risk, building resilience and strengthening climate action, Ms. Alisjahbana told UN News in an interview.

“These technologies can enhance our understanding of disaster patterns, bring early warning to all, and support decision making,” she added, referring to the latest update to ESCAP’s Disaster Risk and Resilience Portal, launched on Monday.

ESCAP’s mission

Informally known as the “parliament” of Asia-Pacific, ESCAP is one of UN’s five Regional Commissions focused on development in the region that is home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s population.

ESCAP’s 53 member States and 9 associate members span a geographic area from the Pacific island of Tuvalu in the east to Türkiye in the west, and Russia in the north to New Zealand in the south. Its non-regional members include France, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.

UN’s other Commissions cover West Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean, respectively.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Africa’s food ‘transformation’ impossible without game changing solutions: FAO — Global Issues

Those were some of the takeaways from a high-level special event held on the sidelines of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment on Africa’s food sovereignty and resilience, organized by the Interdepartmental Task Force on African Affairs (IDTFAA).

Representatives from governments, the UN, the African Union and others, exchanged views on how to seize momentum for the Africa-led transformation of agrifood systems – the entire food production industry from farm to fork – to make them more efficient, more inclusive and more resilient.

The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, praised Africa’s strengths underpinned by its human and natural resources, adding that to unleash its full potential, the continent needs game-changing action.

He said investing in social development – in particular youth, women and smallholder farmers – was a key priority.

He also highlighted the need for a shift towards digital agriculture in the continent, noting that FAO has launched the 1000 Digital Village Initiative.

Mohammed stressed sustainability

Speaking at the event, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed discussed sustainable investments to build food sovereignty in Africa and the need for strengthening domestic resources, investing in climate action, and fixing the global financial architecture.

The deputy UN chief also delivered remarks to an event headlined, Healthy and Protected Oceans, underscoring the urgency of defending marine environments and coastal ecosystems.

“Pollution, overfishing, over-exploitation, acidification and the impacts of climate change and increasing sea surface temperatures disrupt the ocean’s vital functions, imperil biodiversity, and deplete its resources that are vital for people and planet alike.”

She said the challenges facing the ocean combined with economic and environmental burdens within small island nations, representing an “immediate threat”.

Inflation trap

“For vulnerable people, the effects are all too immediate. For example, between June and September 2022, nearly 94 percent of small island developing states faced food inflation levels above five percent, with many experiencing inflation in the double digits.”

She stressed that was simply putting nutritious food out of reach, impacting children, women and those below the poverty line most of all.

“Together, let us recognize the urgency of protecting our oceans and coastal ecosystems, safeguarding the future of food systems in small island developing states, and forging a path towards a more sustainable and equitable world that benefits all people.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Global food systems ‘broken’, says UN chief, urging transformation in how we produce, consume food — Global Issues

Addressing the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, in Rome, Mr. Guterres said that in a world of plenty, “it is outrageous that people continue to suffer and die from hunger.”

Broken system

“Global food systems are broken – and billions of people are paying the price.”

According to UN estimates, over 780 million people experience hunger, almost one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted and nearly three billion people cannot afford healthy diets.

Developing countries face additional challenges, as limited resources and debt burdens prevent them from investing fully in food systems which can produce to nutritious food across the social spectrum.

Unsustainable food production, packaging and consumption are also contributing to the climate crisis, accounting for a third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater usage, and driving biodiversity loss.

Grain deal collapse hits vulnerable

The recent termination of the Black Sea Initiative by Russia has further exacerbated the situation, Mr. Guterres said.

It enabled the export of millions of metric tons of food from Ukrainian ports, and together with the UN’s parallel accord with Russia on export of food and fertilizer, had been vital for global food security and price stability.

“With the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, the most vulnerable will pay the highest price,” he added, emphasizing that both Russia and Ukraine are crucial to global food security, urging Moscow to reverse course.

The UN chief said he remains committed to enabling unimpeded access to global markets for food and fertilizers from both countries, “and to deliver the food security that every person deserves.”

Three key areas for action

In his address, the UN chief cited three key areas for action, starting with “massive” investment in sustainable food systems.

“Starving food systems of investment means, quite literally, starving people,” he said, calling on governments to respond to UN’s call for an SDG Stimulus, amounting to at least $500 billion annually to support long-term financing for all countries in need.

Second, Mr. Guterres called on governments and businesses to collaborate and “put people over profit” in building food systems.

This involves exploring new ways to increase the availability of fresh, healthy food for all individuals, keeping food markets open, and removing trade barriers and export restrictions, he said.

Environmental sustainability

With food systems playing a key role in reducing carbon emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the Secretary-General called for food systems that reduce the carbon footprint of food processing, packaging, and transportation.

Harnessing new technologies to reduce the unsustainable use of land, water, and other resources in food production and agriculture is vital, he said, urging “stronger and faster action” to tackle the climate crisis and commit to reaching net-zero emissions by 2040 for developed countries and 2050 for emerging economies.

Assessing progress

Also speaking at the opening, Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighted the importance of assessing progress in agrifood systems transformation towards reaching the 17 SDGs, agreed by all the world’s nations in 2015.

He noted the progress in identifying solutions agrifood systems can provide for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, including more sustainable farming, efficient water management, responsible packaging, reforestation and reduced food waste.

Mr. Qu added that these depended on transforming global agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.

“In the face of increasing uncertainties and multiple crises, we need to urgently undertake this transformation to fulfil the high expectations we have from our agrifood systems,” he said.

The Summit

From 24 to 26 July, the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment will convene over 2,000 participants from over 160 countries to review progress on the commitments made at the first Food Systems Summit in 2021, and identify successes, as well as continuing bottlenecks while refocusing priorities.

It includes a series of high-level events, dialogues and side events related to transforming agrifood systems on topics such as food waste, climate change, healthy diets, partnerships, science and technology, indigenous people’s knowledge, and transportation.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Food systems contribute to solving ‘world’s most important challenges’ — Global Issues

Corinna Hawkes the Director of the FAO Division of Food Systems and Food Safety says a holistic and sustainable approach is needed that considers economic, social, and environmental factors, and that brings people together, to ensure nutritious food and sustainable livelihoods for all.

She was speaking ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking moment, which will consider global agrifood systems.

What is the agrifood system?

Corinna Hawkes: The agrifood system is everything that is connected to food and agriculture. What we eat as well as the way that food is sold, distributed and processed. It also includes how food is grown or harvested on land, at sea, and other non-food products, such as fuel and fibre. All these processes involve a whole host of activities, investments, and decisions.

© FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto

Corinna Hawkes, Director of Food Systems and Food Safety Division at FAO.

An agrifood system pulls together all of this into an interconnected system; for example, if we want to grow fruits and vegetables for people to eat healthier, we have to think not just about growing the vegetables, but also about how they are delivered to people.

Agrifood systems are also a space for solutions including for climate change, biodiversity loss, malnutrition, chronic diseases, unsafe food, poverty and to counter a lack of urban sustainability. Agrifood systems are the solution to the world’s most important challenges.

Why does the world need to transform agrifood systems?

Right now, the power to provide those solutions is not there. The agrifood system is sick. The way it is designed and functions means that it is weak, worn out and lacks resilience.

So, the frustration and the challenge here, is that the potential power of the agrifood system to provide these solutions is lost until we transform it to make it stronger.

Some of the major challenges include the way food is grown and produced is contributing to climate change, which in turn weakens the agrifood system.

What is an example of a current major challenge in agrifood systems?

One thing we have done is to take too much diversity out of the system which includes everything from what is on our plates all the way back to the farm. So, we need to bring that diversity back.

Over the last decades there has been a specialization in producing certain key commodity crops. This was a great idea from the perspective of productivity and efficiency; it cheapens food, it means you can trade the food, and it reduces the cost of production. It is important we produce these crops efficiently.

But what we have seen is that reducing diversity too much reduces the resilience of the system. And we have seen with recent conflicts how reliance on certain key producers further weakens resilience.

Diversity is also good for biodiversity and the environment, as well as nutritionally for consumers.

How can these challenges be overcome?

© WFP/Evelyn Fey

In Senegal, new farming approaches are being introduced to counter the impacts of climate change.

There are many ways to transform agrifood systems. The most important way is to bring all the systems together which necessiates bringing people together.

One of the major challenges is that different people are trying to fix biodiversity, nutrition or food safety, while others are trying to fix poverty and the livelihoods of agricultural producers.

We need to come work together in the system and figure out how to provide these solutions. This way we will begin to see that the agrifood system may appear to be a problem because it is weak, but it actually is something really powerful.

What good practices are being advanced right now?

I am really excited about some of the initiatives that are taking place at the subnational, urban and city levels. There is so much energy in large and small cities where local authorities and multiple stakeholders are really taking action.

They are improving market infrastructure so that people are more able to access food, so that food is safe and loss and waste is reduced.

So, we are beginning to see these important connections being made, and that is happening in hundreds of cities around the world.

What can we expect from the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment?

What I am hoping to see from the Stocktaking meeting two years after the UN Food Systems Summit is that governments and many other stakeholders will come together to honestly discuss the challenges and to share their successes and their challenges in making change.

I would like to see a sense of solidarity between governments and other stakeholders who can agree that they will do better together if they share experiences and good practices to overcome challenges.

The ideal outcome of the summit is that the momentum created will continue and that the commitment to change will not just stay as a commitment but will lead to actions on the ground to really bring change.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

A UN Resident Coordinator blog — Global Issues

Lisa Singh, who is the UN Resident Coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles, was speaking ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 which is taking place in Italy from 24 to 26 July.

“This is a particularly compelling time to be the Resident Coordinator for a small island state like Mauritius. Since my arrival here in 2022, I have experienced examples of extreme weather conditions such as flooding and cyclones on the one hand and water shortages on the other.

This visible effect of climate change combined with our geographical remoteness, small scale of economies, and high import costs have grave consequences for our island’s food security. It has gained greater momentum since the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine war-related supply and commodity shocks, raising strong preoccupations with food security as a key to the sustainable economic transformation agenda.

Food systems have emerged not only as an agricultural challenge but as a game-changer to catalyse results across multiple SDGs. The upcoming event in Italy provides an opportunity for the two countries to focus on the way forward to accelerate the transformative power of food systems.

Food production must be viewed across sectors and not in isolation. Water and energy are direct inputs at all stages of the food value chain, while natural resources, ecosystems, and their services underpin the security of these inputs. Agriculture accounts for 30 per cent of water use in Mauritius alone. Globally, one third of the world’s available energy is consumed by the food production value chain.

Taking holisitic approach

Addressing water scarcity and investing in renewable energy is critical to food security. Mauritius imports three quarters of its energy with renewable energy, accounting for 24 per cent of its current energy mix. It imports over 77 per cent of its food requirements with households under strain as food prices on staple goods such as bread, black lentils, powdered milk, and cooking oil continue to rise. Our reliance on imports such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, technology, and equipment leave it vulnerable to worldwide commodity and supply disruptions.

Transforming food systems can play a key role in countries’ climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. For instance, in line with its nationally determined contributions, Mauritius has re-affirmed its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. The country has also identified agriculture as a priority sector for climate change adaptation with much focus on efficient irrigation techniques and climate-smart agriculture.

Clearly for the UN team, supporting a holistic systems approach to address the interlinkages between food, climate, water, energy, and gender is critical.

Power of partnerships

We are taking a dual focus. There is the institutional engagement to inform the strategies, policies, and budgets necessary to transform food systems as well as influencing budget allocations.

We also aim at strengthening community resilience, leveraging the power of partnerships, digital platforms, private-public modalities, and data, with the inclusion of women and youth at the centre.

For countries like Mauritius, where tourism is a significant source of GDP earnings, the impact of climate change poses a sustainability risk given its rare yet fragile natural ecosystems.

Lives and livelihoods of communities, particularly in coastal areas, are directly impacted. Coral bleaching and human pollution is putting pressure on the lagoon ecosystem affecting our artisanal fishers like Nazma and her family.

She has been an artisanal fisher for over 30 years along with her husband and several of her children. This is a sustainable way of fishing, as only lines are used unlike in commercial fishing. Furthermore, most of the fish caught by them are for consumption in Mauritius as opposed to export.

Nazma says that she loves everything about fishing. It is a passion that has become her job. But, she emphasizes that life is expensive, fuel is expensive, and there are fewer fish in the lagoon.

The UN, in collaboration with the European Union through the Ecofish project, is using innovations in technology to empower artisanal fishers to move out of over-exploited lagoons.

Nurturing ‘smart’ agriculture

By improving the economic resilience of these traditional fisher communities, food security will be strengthened through better-managed marine resources.

In Rodrigues, which is part of the archipelago of Mauritius, we are working with eight women who have formed the Rodrigues Turmeric Producers Association to grow and process turmeric into powder for sale.

Addressing the energy inputs into agriculture, one of the association members, Marie-Anne, says that with financial backing from the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the UN-supported Global Environment Facility (GEF), she and her peers were able to buy a solar dryer to replace an electric one that consumed a lot of energy and cost a lot of money.

UNDP Mauritius/Stéphane Bellero

Coastal communities in Mauritius like Port Sud-Est are being exposed to the adverse impacts of climate change.

Her colleague and friend, Perrine, explains how the business allows women to emancipate themselves. It will also enable their grandchildren to continue this work because turmeric will always be there.

There are other innovative sustainable food systems solutions being piloted by UN agencies in Mauritius. The UN Development Programme (UNDP), together with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Women under the Joint SDG Fund, are promoting low-cost biofertilizers made locally from seaweed.

Initiatives to nurture smart agriculture are being supported by FAO, UNDP, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

With only seven years left to deliver on the 2030 Agenda our UN Country Team in Mauritius will continue its efforts to support the diversification of the economy, strengthen the circular economy, and invest in human capital to combat supply shocks.

Working in partnership to further climate action and foster resilient pathways is key to protecting the future of Mauritius for our people, planet, prosperity, and peace.”

UN Resident Coordinator

  • The UN Resident Coordinator, sometimes called the RC, is the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system at the country level.
  • In this occasional series, UN News is inviting RCs to blog on issues important to the UN and the country where they serve.
  • Learn more about the work of the UN in Mauritius here.
  • Find out more about the UN Development Coordination Office here.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version