International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat said global efforts to ensure food security are in decline, just eight years away from the date set for achieving the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda, which includes ending hunger and achieving food security.

In her opening remarks to the first round of a food security conference, organized Wednesday by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in cooperation with her ministry, Mashat also warned about the exacerbating impact of climate change on food security.

She highlighted the growing food insecurity challenges triggered by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, coupled with the sustained impact of climate change and its adverse effects on supply chains.

Citing a recent UN report, Mashat said nearly one billion people faced food insecurity at severe levels during 2021, an increase of 207 million in two years.

During her speech, the minister thanked the WFP for preparing the new 2023-2027 WFP Country Strategy in Egypt, which lays the foundations for a new phase of cooperation to boost food security and expand agricultural and rural development projects in Egypt.

She also hailed the development projects jointly carried out by the Egyptian government and the UN specialized body to improve school meals, support smallholder farmers in rural Egypt and enable them to depend more on renewable energy and bolster South-South cooperation through the Luxor Coordination Center for Knowledge Sharing and Innovation.

The event is held under the theme: “New partnerships and technologies for promoting food security,” with the participation of WFP Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Executive Director Manoj Juneja, Resident Co-ordinator of the UN Office in Cairo Elena Panova, and WFP Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Corinne Fleischer, among other senior officials representing relevant government bodies, and development partners.

Source: State Information Service Egypt