Dili, 15 october 2021 (TATOLI) – The world faces an exponential increase in hunger fuelled by the climate crisis if urgent global action to help communities adapt to climatic shocks and stresses is ignored, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned ahead of World Food Day.
“The climate crisis has the potential to overwhelm humanity. The world is not prepared for the unprecedented rise in hunger we will see if we do not invest in programs that help vulnerable communities adapt and build resilience to our changing climate,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “The climate crisis is fuelling a food crisis.”
Vulnerable communities, a vast majority of whom rely on agriculture, fishing, and livestock, who contribute the least to the climate crisis bear the brunt of the impacts with limited means to cushion the blow.
In Timor-Leste, the april floods underpinned its vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change. The crisis has been compounded by the impacts of COVID-19 in a country that has 36 percent of the population chronically food insecure and only 15 to 37 percent of the households are able to afford a nutritious diet.
In addressing these challenges, The Government of Timor-Leste launched in July the Consolidated National Action Plan for Nutrition and Food Security that prioritizes high-impact interventions to reduce malnutrition and food insecurity and achieve s SDG2 targets. WFP is pleased to support the Government’s interventions through technical assistance on Cesta Basica, supply chain management, emergency response, school meals coalition, food security analysis, food fortification, and food systems dialogues.
Building on this year’s theme for World Food Day, “Our actions are our future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,” WFP is calling on world leaders to recognize the close link between hunger and the climate crisis and is urging them to redouble their efforts to address the changing climate as focus shifts to the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26).
“As a small island developing state, Timor-Leste is likely to suffer most from adverse effects of climate change such as global warming and sea-level rise. We must work together to transform our food systems including the way we produce and consume the food without destroying our planet and its resources”, said Dageng Liu, WFP Representative in Timor-Leste.
To mark World Food Day, WFP is supporting the Government through KONSSANTIL by organizing national nutrition awards and cooking demonstrations, as well as talk show and public sensitization on food and nutrition policies.
TATOLI
