We want more than just survival. We strive for sustainable development—FAO Director General at SIDS Summit in Samoa
Apia, Samoa/Rome—Coping with climate change
should be seen as more than just a question of survival for small island
countries - the international community should view it as a challenge to take
unified action and notch up efforts to shift to a sustainable model of
development, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said Sept. 3.
“Climate
change is happening before our eyes. Rising sea levels, higher air and sea
surface temperatures, and changing rainfall patterns are affecting countries
worldwide. But there is no doubt that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are
more vulnerable,” the FAO chief said during remarks delivered at the 3rd
International UN Conference on SIDS in Apia, Samoa (1-4
September).
Climate
change has particularly profound implications for the development of SIDS,
affecting their food security, livelihoods, and economies, he noted.
Long-term
thinking and a more holistic approach are necessary, said Graziano da Silva,
explaining: “To ensure food security you cannot simply give a person bread. You
need to help him produce food; you need to adapt to climate change; you need to
ensure him access, including by social protection; you need to ensure a
diversified diet that guarantees adequate nutrition.”
SIDS
are a group of island countries, mostly from the Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic
and Indian Ocean regions that, while diverse, face similar development
challenges. These include small populations, limited resources, susceptibility
to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks and a high level of
dependence on international trade.
The
growth and development of SIDS is often further hampered by high transportation
and communications costs, expensive public administration and infrastructure,
and limited opportunities to create economies of scale.
SIDS
also struggle with a spectrum of malnutrition-related challenges, ranging from
undernourishment to obesity, Graziano da Silva added, noting that according to
the World Health Organization (WHO), nine out of the 10 countries with the highest
female obesity rates are Small Island Developing States.
Tackling
nutrition issues in the developing world will feature front and center during
discussions this coming November at the 2nd International
Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), being convened by FAO and WHO in
Rome (19th-21st).
Areas
for action
Graziano da Silva highlighted three key fronts where action is needed to
promote greater resilience and sustainable development in SIDS:
Helping
them improve their management and use of natural resources; boosting local food
production and building local and regional consumption circuits; and strengthening
the resilience of communities in the face of natural disasters and emerging
climate-related challenges
FAO's
contribution
FAO
is working with governments and other
partners to promote resilience and sustainable development in
SIDS on a number of fronts.
Over
the past two years, the Organization has invested over $40 million to support
SIDS in their efforts to tackle issues related to food and nutrition security,
agriculture, fisheries, forestry and natural resources management.
In
the Caribbean, the Organization is supporting the development and
implementation of resilience-building and disaster risk reduction plans.
In
the Pacific, FAO is actively support the Food Security and Sustainable
Livelihoods Program being developed by countries of the region.
And
through its new Blue Growth Initiative,
FAO is helping Small Island Developing States around the planet sustainably use
their aquatic resources to advance food security, better nutrition, and poverty
reduction.
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