The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization of (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) celebrated World Food Day yesterday at a joint event that highlighted the importance of individual actions in achieving a world free of hunger and poverty by 2030.
The event – Our Actions Are Our Future – #ZeroHunger World by 2030 Is Possible – featured TV and puppet shows, an open talk with students, interactive games and master classes around the World Food Day theme. Government counterparts, ambassadors, donors, NGO partners and media representatives attended the event, along with university students and schoolchildren, says a joint press release issued by FAO Tajikistan and WFP Tajikistan.
The UN agencies stressed the global community’s shared commitment to tackling the root causes of hunger and malnutrition to ensure healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for all.
“Everyone has an invaluable role to play to achieve Zero Hunger and only living in harmony and working in partnership can nations achieve a world without hunger and poverty,” said FAO Representative in Tajikistan Oleg Guchgeldiyev. “The prosperity and well-being of mankind strongly depend on actions and measures we adopt. Indeed, there is a need for more comprehensive and sustainable approaches.”
The event highlighted the recently published The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, which stresses the importance of a coordinated approach in addressing hunger, facilitating dialogue and creating incentives for different sectors and stakeholders to work together to end poverty.
Jointly produced by five UN agencies, including FAO and WFP, this year’s report confirms a rise in world hunger for a third consecutive year — reaching 821 million people worldwide in 2017. According to the report, climate change is a key driver for the uptick, along with conflict and economic slowdowns.
“Achieving Zero Hunger in Tajikistan by 2030 is possible, but we need to double our efforts to get back on track. We can achieve food security and improve people’s access to good quality nutrition only through cooperation with the government and development partners,” said WFP Representative ad interim in Tajikistan Mariko Kawabata.
