Food security in Latin America, Biodiversity Conference, debt, Year of Millet… Tuesday’s news

Latin America needs to strengthen agricultural production and social protection systems

The context of successive international crises and the war in Ukraine jeopardize Latin America and the Caribbean’s access to food and key inputs for regional agriculture, according to a new report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Organization of Nations United Nations for Food and Agriculture and the World Food Program.

In the same way, it warns that the prolongation of these crises, where various threats of a productive, commercial, climatic and geopolitical nature coincide, not only endanger food security, but could also lead to regional and global setbacks in terms of poverty, inequality, climate action and sustainable development.

The three organizations called for strengthening agricultural production and social protection systems and extending their reach to rural areas in response to the triple challenge of combating food insecurity, the increase in extreme poverty, and support for the production of food in the region.

He added that inflation in the food sector increases the risk of problems of access to a healthy diet, food insecurity and hunger, since it affects households with lower incomes more pronouncedly.

Likewise, it highlights the need to reinforce the active role of social protection systems, including national school feeding programs, to prevent the most vulnerable segments of the population, such as children and the elderly, from being irreversibly affected by the rise in food prices.

Kick-off for the UN Conference on Biodiversity

This Tuesday the UN Conference on Biodiversity, known as COP 15, opens in the Canadian city of Montreal, in which all the governments of the world are called upon to agree on a new global framework for biodiversity post-2020.

The framework sets out a plan to transform society’s relationship with biodiversity and ensure that, by 2050, the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is realized.

During the Conference, the implementation of the protocols of the Convention on Biological Diversity that address the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of biodiversity, and the safe transport, handling and labeling of living modified organisms.

The event will last until December 19 and all sessions can be followed live on the website of the Convention on Biological Diversity. https://www.cbd.int/live/

End the indebtedness of developing countries

Stronger multilateral solutions are urgently needed to overcome the debt crisis facing developing countries, said the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development at the opening of the 13th session of the Conference on the Debt Management held from December 5 to 7 in Geneva.

The event comes at a time when a wave of global crises has led many developing countries to borrow more to meet the needs of their populations.

Rebeca Grynspan highlighted that the levels of public debt in relation to the Gross Domestic Product increased in more than 100 developing countries between 2019 and 2021 and that, excluding China, this growth is estimated at around two trillion dollars.

Due to the sharp rise in interest rates, debt puts enormous pressure on public finances, especially in developing countries that need to invest in education, health, their economies and adapt to climate change.

Grynspan stated that “debt cannot and should not become an obstacle to achieving the 2030 Agenda and the climate transition that the world needs” and called for the creation of a multilateral legal framework for the restructuring of debt relief.

The International Year of Millet begins

As global agri-food systems face ongoing challenges to feed an ever-growing world population, hardy cereals like millet offer an affordable and nutritious option, and increased efforts are needed to promote their cultivation.

This was the message launched today during the opening ceremony of the International Year of Millet at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome.

Millets comprise a diverse group of cereals and are an important food source for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. They are deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of indigenous peoples and help ensure food security in areas where they are culturally relevant.

At the same time, increased millet production can support the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and provide decent jobs for women and youth. In addition, the income created can boost economic growth and the risks associated with production shocks can be mitigated.