WFUNA International Model United Nations E(WIMUN)/CN.9/2020/3 ​ ​ Economic and Social Council Distr.: Limited Jan 7, 2020 Original: English Commission on Population and Development Fourth Session New York, 31 Jan - 3 Feb 2020 Item 2 Population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development Report of the Economic and Social Council Summary The right to adequate living standards for the people was first addressed as a fundamental human right in the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition and has always been considered as one of the most important rights throughout history. However, this right in many underdeveloped regions of the world has been violated due to extreme poverty, conflict and climate change. By 2015, a significant progress has been achieved, but it is still far from elimination as the UN proposed “Zero Hunger Challenge” in 2012. Today, over 800 million people are considered undernourished. It is also estimated that there will be over 2 billion people who will fall into starvation by the year 2050. As it is highly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, urgent collaborations by different stakeholders, in particular, governments, foreign aid, food producers and consumers, have to be taken effectively to ensure the eradication of hunger and malnutrition. 1/21 WFUNA International Model United Nations E(WIMUN)/CN.9/2020/3 I. Introduction 1. The very first international conference specifically on food security and nutrition was held at Hot Springs, US in 1943. It mainly expressed its concern on world food security, established an interim commission on food security and nutrition, and expressed the need for founding a permanent commission specifically dealing with 1 the short-term and long-term negative consequences brought by malnutrition. 2. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) was established in the year of 1945. The first founding goals are to sustainably improve the efficiency of agricultural systems, as well as to substantially increase the overall food supply for the world population. Strategically, it approaches to the allocation of natural as well as artificial resources such as fishery, forestry, vegetation, etc. It also closely links to the elimination of rural poverty by tackling its goal to smallholder farmers. (It also pays its attention to the smallholder farmers with their family-based farms which takes approximately 90% of the farmers in the world.) Since its foundation, the FAO has always worked closely with governments, institutions, organisations, providing expertise and strategic advice to ensure the productivity and sustainability of food 2 supply. 3. The World Food Conference convened by the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 3180 on November 16th, 1974. The Universal Declaration on the ​ ​ Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition. This resolution was further endorsed by the ​ General Assembly in resolution 3348. The thesis of this declaration stated, “Every ​ man, woman and child has the inalienable right to be free from hunger and malnutrition in order to develop fully and maintain their physical and mental faculties.” The declaration expressed its strong concern from the international ​ community by tackling food security issue with international human rights and geopolitical factors within a region, to achieve the physical and mental wellness of 3 individuals. 4. The international community has expressed its strong concern in the Second International Conference on Nutritions (ICN) that took place in Rome, Italy in the year of 2014. The final outcome of this Conference was the Rome Declaration on ​ Nutrition, as well as the Framework for Action as a guidance for its implementation. ​ ​ In the declaration, it recognises the negative consequences possibly caused by malnutrition onto individuals, market and society. It emphasizes the necessity of eradicating world hunger for future sustainable development. It also urges international and different forms of governmental intervention into the food system to 4 further ensure sufficient food supply for all. The Rome Declaration on Nutrition ​ serves also as a guideline for the future relative declarations and resolutions. 1 FAO, http://www.fao.org/3/p4228e/p4228e04.htm ​ 2 FAO, Strategic Objectives, http://www.fao.org/3/a-mg994e.pdf 3 OHCHR, Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/EradicationOfHungerAndMalnutrition.aspx 4 Rome Declaration on Nutrient, http://www.fao.org/3/a-ml542e.pdf, 2014 ​ ​ 2/21 WFUNA International Model United Nations E(WIMUN)/CN.9/2020/3 5. The UN General Assembly listed the eradication of world hunger as well as poverty in its Millennium Development Goals. It specified its detailed goal in 1.C “Halve, 5 between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger”. It resulted in a significant fall in the percentage of undernourished people, from 23.3 6 percent in 1990-1992 to 12.9 percent in 2014-2016. 6. The “Zero Hunger Challenge” (ZHC) was launched by the former United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, supported by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development, UN Children’s Fund, the World Bank and Bioversity International. The ultimate goal for this challenge is to fully eradicate malnutrition. It is detailed into 5 main goals, namely, a. All food systems are sustainable from production to consumption, b. An end to rural poverty: double small-scale producer income and productivity, c. Adapt all food systems to eliminate loss or waste of food, d. Access adequate food and healthy diets, for all people, all year round, e. And end to malnutrition in all its forms. This challenge was set to be more “people centered”, implementing with social justice and basic human rights as the guideline. It pointed out that this goal would not be fully achieved in isolation, hence, international cooperation for the benefit of the 7 people is an essential element. 7. In 2015, United Nations Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in which the eradication of world hunger was listed as a single goal (Goal 2). 2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. 2.2 By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons. 2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food ​ producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment. 5 Millennium Development Goals, https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/poverty.shtml ​ 6The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015, https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%202015%20rev%20(July%201).pdf 7 Zero Hunger Challenge, UN, https://www.un.org/zerohunger/node/20 ​ 3/21 WFUNA International Model United Nations E(WIMUN)/CN.9/2020/3 2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient ​ agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. 2.5 By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and ​ domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed. 2.A Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in ​ rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries. 2.B Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural ​ markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round. 2.C Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and ​ their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility. 8. It is detailed in 5 more goals, targeting on the elimination of world hunger and diseases brought by micronutrient deficiencies. It also aims the completion of sustainable farming, genetically-diverse seeds, plants, as well as the productivity of agriculture. It has pointed out three main approaches for implementation, which include increasing investment in agricultural market, preventing restrictions in agricultural trade, and adopting several measures to ensure the stabilization of food 8 commodity market all the time.