Monaco takes part in the 52nd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security

Monaco took part in the work of the 52nd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 52) from 21 to 25 October in Rome. The CFS celebrates its 50th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security.

Submitted at the beginning of the session, the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report (SOFI) estimates that between 713 and 757 million people suffered from hunger in 2023, the equivalent of 1 out of 11 people worldwide and 1 out of 5 people in Africa. While moderate or severe food insecurity remained stable globally with an improvement in Latin America, some 582 million people could still suffer from chronic malnutrition by 2030 (compared to 600 million last year), with more than half in Africa. Discussions highlighted the alarming humanitarian situation in Gaza and Sudan.

The session was also marked by the adoption of general policy recommendations on the reduction of inequalities in order to ensure food security and adequate nutrition for all. In its speech, the Monegasque delegation welcomed the outcome of this process and reiterated the active commitment of Monaco to fighting inequalities and every cause of exclusion by way of projects supported by its Department of International Cooperation (DCI).

The CFS session reviewed the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition adopted last year, and approved the upcoming launch of a process to establish recommendations on urban food systems, in which Monaco will participate alongside stakeholders.

On the sidelines of this session, the Monegasque delegation held bilateral meetings with the FAO emergencies and resilience unit to explore two potential partnerships in the Sahel region and the Middle East. The delegation also met with the agriculture minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

The Monegasque delegation was led by H.E. Ms Anne Eastwood, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Monaco to the FAO, and included Gilles Collard, the food security representative at the Department of International Cooperation (DCI), and Christelle Revel, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Monaco in Italy.