UN Chief Encourages Change In Actions Toward Sustainable Food Systems

New York: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday (October 16) encouraged a change in actions toward sustainable food systems on the occasion of World Food Day, which falls on October 16. In a video message, Mr Guterres said World Food Day is not only a reminder of the importance of food to every person on the planet but also a call to action to achieve food security around the world. Today, almost 40 per cent of humanity — 3 billion people — cannot afford a healthy diet, he said. Hunger is on the rise, so too are undernourishment and obesity.

Also Read: India Falls To 101 From 94 In Hunger Index Behind Pakistan, Nepal: Report

The economic impacts of COVID-19 have made a bad situation even worse. The pandemic has left an additional 140 million people unable to access the food they need, he noted.

At the same time, the way we produce, consume and waste food is taking a heavy toll on our planet. It is putting historic pressure on our natural resources, climate and natural environment — and costing us trillions of dollars a year, said Mr Guterres.

“As this year’s theme makes clear, the power to change is in our hands.”

The theme for this year’s World Food Day is “Our actions are our future.” Last month, the world gathered for the UN Food Systems Summit. Countries made bold commitments to transform food systems: to make healthy diets more affordable and accessible, and to make food systems more efficient, resilient and sustainable at every step, from production and processing to marketing, transportation and delivery, he said.

We can all change how we consume food, and make healthier choices — for ourselves, and our planet. In our food systems, there is hope. On this World Food Day, join us as we commit to take transformative action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals through food systems that deliver better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for every person, he said.

Also Read: COVID-19 Has Made Children More Vulnerable To Malnutrition, Here’s How

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.