Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa Series of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
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NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION RETHINKING FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHY DIETS AND IMPROVED NUTRITION This flagship publication is part of Regional Overview of Food security and nutrition in the Near East and North Africa series of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Required citation: FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2020. 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Female retail trader buying from Belbeis wholesale market. 2019 NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION RETHINKING FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHY DIETS AND IMPROVED NUTRITION Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development United Nations Children’s Fund United Nations World Food Programme and World Health Organization Cairo, 2020 CONTENTS FOREWORD v The broad roots of the NCD issue 36 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii The need for comprehensive NCD action ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS viii strategies 37 COUNTRY AND TERRITORY ABBREVIATIONS x The effectiveness of policies to reduce overweight, KEY MESSAGES xi obesity and NCDs 37 INTRODUCTION xv Summary 39 PART 1 REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY AND PART 3 NUTRITION INDICATORS 1 RETHINKING FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHY DIETS SDG Target 2.1: Hunger and food insecurity in AND IMPROVED NUTRITION IN THE ARAB STATES 41 Arab States, 2015–2017 3 A simplified conceptual model for food system change 42 SDG Target 2.2: Malnutrition in the Arab States 9 Food supply: policies to reduce child and Beyond SDG 2: Nutrition and NCD targets maternal malnutrition and reduce dietary risks 44 agreed by the World Health Assembly 14 Food safety 44 Non–communicable diseases in the Arab States 16 Food reformulation 46 Malnutrition, mortality and morbidity in the Arab States 20 Food environments and consumer behaviour: policies to reduce dietary risks and the prevalence Summary 23 of NCDs 47 PART 2 Social protection programmes and nutrition 47 FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION POLICIES FOR Food subsidies 49 ACHIEVING SDG 2 TARGETS 25 School feeding programmes 50 Policies to address caloric deficiencies (hunger and food insecurity) 26 Food labelling regulatory frameworks 51 Domestic cereal production policies 27 Food taxes 51 Food subsidies and targeted social protection Regulation of advertising and marketing foods policies in the Arab States 28 and beverages targeted at children 52 Policies to reduce child and maternal undernutrition Nutrition education, public nutrition information and micronutrient deficiency 30 and social marketing 53 Food fortification 30 Summary 54 Improving exclusive breastfeeding rates 33 CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness of policies for reducing child ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS FOR and maternal undernutrition 33 HEALTHY DIETS AND IMPROVED NUTRITION 58 Policies to reduce the prevalence of overweight, obesity and NCDs 35 REFERENCES 62 | iii | TABLES, FIGURES AND BOXES TABLES FIGURES BOXES 1 Targets and indicators 1 Prevalence of undernourishment 1 What is a food system and what considered in Part I xvi (PoU) in the Arab States, are its outcomes? xv 2000–2018 6 2 Hunger and food insecurity in 2 The two main SDG 2 indicators selected sub-regions of the Arab 2 Figure 2. Prevalence of adult of hunger and food security 4 States, 3–year averages for overweight and obesity and GDP 3 Definitions and consequences of the 2016 –18 3 per capita in Arab States, 2016 20 main anthropometric risk factors and 3 Number of undernourished in the 3 Premature death and disability by micronutrient deficiencies for children 10 Arab States, 2004/06–2016/18 cause in the Arab States, 1990–2017 4 WHO definitions and measurement (million) 5 (DALYs per 100 000 population) 21 of overweight and obesity 17 4 Prevalence of undernourishment in 4 Premature death and disability by 5 Social protection in the Arab the Arab States and sub-regions, cause in the Arab States, 2017 States 29 2004/06–2016/18 7 (DALYs per 100 000 population) 22 6 Regulation of the school food 5 Prevalence of people affected by 5 The costs of premature death and environment as a tool to fight obesity food insecurity in the Arab States and disability from selected risk factors in in Lebanon 38 sub-regions, 2014/16 –2015/17 9 the Arab States, 1990 and 2017 23 6 Children’s anthropometric status 6 Conceptual framework of food and micronutrient deficiency systems for diets and nutrition 43 estimates for Arab States 12 7 Public health significance of anthropometry measurements and micronutrient deficiencies in children 13 8 Maternal, infant and young child nutrition: global nutrition targets set by the 2012 WHA Resolution 65.6 14 9 Table 9. Maternal and infant nutrition indicators for Arab States, 2016 or latest year 15 10 NCD global targets set by the 2013 WHA Resolution A66.10 16 11 Prevalence of adult overweight and obesity in the Arab States, comparator regions and the Arab States’ sub-regions, 2016 18 12 Food fortification in Arab States 31 | iv | FOREWORD In The State of Food Security and Nutrition worrying in countries affected by conflicts and in the World 2019, the Food and Agriculture violence: Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Yemen. Displacements and forced migration in partnership with the International Fund are widespread in the region, especially for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the among the growing youth population segment. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), In addition to conflicts, water scarcity and the World Food Programme (WFP) and the climate change pose significant constraints to World Health Organization (WHO), monitors agricultural production and rural livelihoods progress against two targets from Sustainable in the region. Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) on ending hunger (SDG Target 2.1) and all forms of malnutrition Many countries carry a double burden of (SDG Target 2.2). In addition to this global malnutrition, including overweight and report, FAO has published Regional Overviews obesity and undernutrition. A high or very of Food Security and Nutrition since 2015. high prevalence of stunting in children under This year, marks the first year that FAO has the age of five persists in nearly half of the produced the Regional Overview for the Near Arab States, while anaemia is a severe public East and North Africa (NENA) in partnership health issue in certain countries.