Statement by Akiko Suwa-Eisenmann, Chairperson of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security at the 52nd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 52), 21 October 2024, Rome, Italy.

Over the past 12 months, chronic food insecurity has persisted, while new and acute food crises — many triggered by conflicts — have emerged across the world. We are far off track in meeting the SDG on eradicating hunger. Thus, now, a close dialogue between science and policy is needed more than ever.

We need research to understand the complexities on the ground. We need diverse knowledge to ensure that innovation, investments and policies are aligned towards the realization of the right to food.

We learned from the COVID-19 crisis that supply chains can be fragile. We therefore need to adopt a food systems approach. Doing so is important to understand how sectors such as R&D, processing or distribution, and the institutional environment shape consumer preferences and impact producers’ decisions.

We live now in a world where consumers often buy imported food, a world where producers sometimes find more profit in cash crops, animal feed or biofuels than in food crops; a world where some multinational firms are more powerful than many governments. We need science to understand these new processes and drivers, and find ways to overcome the disparity of power and the tradeoffs within food systems. And importantly, the independence of science must be safeguarded: scientists must be shielded from interference and undue pressure from powerful interests. 

The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition, which I have the honour to represent, informs policy debates by providing independent, comprehensive and evidence-based analysis and advice to the CFS. 

As you know, our interdisciplinary network of experts, including 15 in our Steering Committee, works pro bono to produce reports and to identify critical, emerging and enduring issues affecting food security and nutrition.

The CFS, in its current multi-year programme of work, has included many requests for HLPE-FSN reports and background notes. We are working closely with the CFS to respond to these demands despite limited resources. We thank the CFS and foremost, the CFS chairperson, Ambassador Nosipho Jezile, for her trust and support.

Unlike other science-policy interfaces, the CFS uses HLPE reports to engage in a unique policy convergence process, where diverse stakeholders come together to negotiate voluntary guidelines that shape global food security policies. These agreements are powerful tools in international governance. They reflect shared goals and principles, providing flexibility for national contexts, while fostering global commitment to address complex food security and nutrition challenges.

But we need more. The HLPE-FSN calls for greater dialogue and engagement between science, policymakers and society. 

The HLPE-FSN has advocated broadening the definition of food security to six dimensions. This means considering beyond the four pillars of availability, access, stability and utilization, two additional dimensions which are agency and sustainability. Agency is the right of each of us to decide about the food we consume and how it is produced, but also to participate in policy processes. Sustainability means protecting the people and the planet.

In a world of climate crises, conflicts and rising inequalities, in this Plenary where we will examine the uptake of the Right to food guidelines, in this year where the three COPs on climate, desertification and biodiversity will put food systems transformation at the centre, it is now high time to integrate these six dimensions as a guide for our policies and actions.

A broader definition of food security demands greater responsibility and collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector. The CFS is ideally positioned as an inclusive space for policy innovation, and the HLPE-FSN is one of its core strengths. As we begin this important week, I urge the international community to recognize the pivotal role of the CFS and the HLPE-FSN in shaping the future of global food security.

To eliminate hunger, the world needs your action. As Member States, you hold the power to shape the laws and policies that will drive the transformation of our food systems. It is through your leadership that we can address the pressing challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition, and inequality.  

Now it is time to act to ensure a future where food systems are equitable, sustainable, and resilient. And we need your support to increase our efforts and sustain the independence of our research.

Let us move forward together to build a better world, one that is nourished by science, driven by evidence, and guided by collaboration.

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