联合国西亚经济社会委员会-改变食物系统（英）-2021_20页_1mb

报告摘要

Summary of the Food Systems Transformation Policy Brief

Core Content

This policy brief outlines the need for transforming global food systems to make them inclusive, healthy, sustainable, and resilient. It highlights the growing challenges of hunger and obesity, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of the Food Systems Summit in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The brief emphasizes the importance of regional cooperation, multi-stakeholder engagement, and innovative solutions to address these complex issues.

Main Challenges

Hunger and Obesity: Despite global food abundance, 690 million people are still hungry, while obesity rates are rising in all regions. This dual challenge is driven by poverty, political instability, economic crisis, and limited awareness of healthy diets.
Impact of the Pandemic: The pandemic has worsened food insecurity, increased inequalities, and exposed the vulnerability of food system workers.
Inequalities in Access: Dietary inequalities are linked to income, geography, and education levels. Marginalized groups such as women, children, the elderly, refugees, and the rural poor face significant barriers to accessing nutritious food.
Environmental Pressures: Unsustainable agricultural practices are causing deforestation, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity. Over 80% of the world’s deforestation is linked to agriculture.
Food Loss and Waste: Approximately one-third of food is lost or wasted, with higher rates in developed regions (e.g., 16% in North America and Europe, 21% in Central and Southern Asia). In some Arab countries, annual per capita food waste reaches 427 kg.

Key Recommendations and Game Changers

Short to Medium Term Actions

Promote Equitable Livelihoods: Support decent employment, income generation, and social protection schemes for vulnerable populations.
Enhance Social Protection: Focus on nutrition-sensitive programs, gender-responsive policies, and support for small-scale producers.
Improve Supply Chain Infrastructure: Invest in roads, storage, cold chains, and SMEs to enhance food availability and access.
Strengthen Food Safety: Implement effective food safety programs to reduce food-borne diseases in low- and middle-income countries.
Promote Awareness: Raise awareness on healthy diets, nutrition, and hygiene through targeted messaging, especially to children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Support Local Food Systems: Encourage local and regional value chains, food banks, and universal access to food.
Leverage Digital Platforms: Use digital tools to improve data collection, decision-making, and market access.

Medium to Long Term Actions

Revamp Food Environments: Ensure people have access to culturally appropriate and nutritious foods through community-based initiatives.
Invest in Green Technologies: Promote affordable and appropriate green technologies to support sustainable farming and reduce environmental impact.
Strengthen Legislation: Develop policies and laws to reduce food losses and waste, and promote sustainable practices.
Restore Ecosystems: Focus on rehabilitating degraded lands, reversing biodiversity loss, and protecting natural resources.
Adopt Water-Energy-Food Nexus Approach: Integrate natural resource planning and governance for sustainable development.
Enhance Cross-Sectoral Coordination: Promote sustainable water use, agroecological practices, and soil management.
Encourage Inclusive Trade: Support open, rule-based, and non-discriminatory trade systems to enhance regional and local food security.

Regional Priorities

Africa: 250.3 million people are hungry, and poverty is expected to rise by 49 million to 161 million due to the pandemic. Child stunting is rising, and conflicts are exacerbating food insecurity.
Arab Region: 116 million people are food insecure, and obesity rates are high, especially in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Poverty and unemployment are major challenges, particularly among women and youth.
Asia and Pacific: 350.6 million people were undernourished in 2019, with high stunting and wasting rates among children. Social protection spending is low, at less than 2% of GDP.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Food insecurity has increased, with 40.4% of the population affected in 2020. Child overweight is rising across the region.

Conclusion

The transformation of food systems requires multi-stakeholder collaboration, innovative policies, and targeted investments. The Food Systems Summit plays a critical role in accelerating global and regional action, aligning efforts with the SDGs. By addressing inequalities, environmental degradation, and food loss and waste, countries can move towards more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food systems that support both human health and planetary well-being.