World leaders must remain vigilant to keep food trade flowing during the pandemic and to continue using trade as a lever to improve farm income and productivity, said the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on Sunday. Speaking during the Group of 20 summit held online, director general Qu Dongyu said, “It is essential for the G20 to keep working on preventing this health crisis from becoming a global food crisis.”
Qu called for a strengthening of social protection networks to improve the livelihood of poor people, and for larger investment to ensure smallholder farmers are part of development programs. “The G20 is a highly important impetus and emergency response on global policy, coordination and leadership to develop an inclusive, resilient and sustainable world by leading responsible investment, enabling policies, innovation and capacity building,” he said.
Five UN agencies warned during the summer that the coronavirus could increase the number of hungry people in the world by as many as 132 million in one year. The world hunger rate, now 8.9 percent of the population, has been on the rise since 2014.
Ahead of the G20 meeting, 11 aid groups urged world leaders to act quickly to prevent surges in malnutrition and hunger because of the pandemic. “Early and sustained action by the G20 will not only save the lives and livelihoods of millions, but will prevent the crisis from worsening and build on past development investments made by G20 members,” said David Miliband, chief executive of the International Rescue Committee. Among the steps sought by the aid groups was full funding of UN appeals for humanitarian aid this year and in 2021.