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Values-led approach to food security required – DCU report
A report on Global Food Security will be presented to the UAE ambassador to Ireland by DCU’s Centre for Religion, Human Values and International Relations ahead of COP 28.
The United Nations annual climate change conference, also known as the ‘Conference of the Parties’ or ‘COP’, brings together world leaders, ministers and negotiators to agree on how to address climate change.
It’s expected that efforts to make food and agriculture systems more equitable, accessible and sustainable will receive attention at the summit in Dubai next month.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has calculated that as of July 2023, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet is more than 3 billion worldwide.
In parallel, the number of people facing acute hunger and undernourishment has risen to 9.2% of the global population.
Acute food insecurity is more pronounced in some regions than others, with Africa being the worst affected (20% of the population face hunger), along with the Caribbean (16%), Asia (8.5%) and Latin America.
The purpose of DCU’s multi-stakeholder project was to respond to growing shared awareness of food insecurity by proposing possible policy responses.
It found that several interrelated factors stand in the way of effective political action to meet immediate food needs and promote the resilience of global food systems.
“There is no avoiding a ‘holistic’ or ‘systems’ approach which in turn requires a long-term strategy and openness to new thinking,” according to the report.
It has concluded that a values-led approach to politics and security in the perspective of 2030 or 2050 should give an over-riding priority to sharing the “primary goods of life” while also accepting a longer-term responsibility to promote the ecological and climatic conditions.
While the report acknowledges that change cannot happen all at once, it says policy frameworks need to be reappraised.
In particular, it suggests the development new long-term multi-stakeholder frameworks of engagement in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals; enabling governments and people to deliberate on a shared medium-term future, making room for new ideas, while continuing to support day-to-day negotiations on specific subjects.
Due to the impact of wildfires, floods, storms and droughts worldwide, COP 28 is viewed as a decisive moment for international climate action.
It will begin on 30 November and run until 12 December.
Article Source: Values-led approach to food security required – DCU report – Ailbhe Conneely – RTE
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