FAO DG Encourages Lawmakers to Transform Food Systems

The immediate action of parliamentarians to adapt and advance legal, political, and institutional frameworks to end hunger and guarantee availability of nutritional and healthy diets are vital, said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

"Being responsible for passing laws and reviewing budgets, you can play a key role in promoting food security and improving nutrition in your respective countries," he added. He discussed these to about 200 parliamentarians attending the Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition in Madrid, Spain in October 2018.

"We need to put in place food systems that provide healthy and nutritious food that is accessible to all," he added, noting that obesity should be treated as a public issue and not exclusively as an individual's problem. According to FAO data, there are 821 million hungry people or 11 percent of the world's population. Other forms of malnutrition have also increased wherein 2 billion overweight adults were reported, and 672 million are obese.

"Despite the recent setbacks, a world without hunger and malnutrition is still within reach, but we must act quickly and decisively. It is our common responsibility to promote the political will that allows us to guarantee that everyone can feed themselves with dignity. Zero Hunger by 2030 is still possible if we all work together," Graziano da Silva concluded.

FAO also released a publication titled Parliamentary Alliances Against Hunger and Malnutrition.

Read the news release from FAO.