Excellencies Heads of State and Government
Commissioner EU
Director General FAO
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am privileged to participate in the Brussels FAO dialogue Weathering COVID 19 in Small Islands Developing States” today, to lend our voice to the resounding call to enhance awareness of our structural vulnerabilities and the looming impacts on food systems as a result of the pandemic.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are ranked among the most vulnerable countries of the world. We are challenged by a multitude of developmental obstacles including geographical isolation from markets, limited natural resources and the triple burden of disease.
We are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite accounting for only 1% of Carbon dioxide emissions, to the extent that is existential threat for many of our low-lying small Pacific neighbors. So for small Islands developing states, it is about addressing the pressing new COVID-19 issues as well as coping with the ever persistent climate change and disaster risk resilience challenges.
Fisheries, tourism and agriculture contribute significantly to our national Gross Domestic Products (GDP) yet their vulnerability and fragility make it more challenging for the SIDS to produce adequate food supplies to meet the needs of our populations. Our dependence on food imports and food systems are particularly vulnerable to external shocks such as food prices and supply volatility.
The lockdown measures to address the public health crises caused significant impacts on our economies, particularly on our food supply chain, tourism and remittances.
For some SIDS the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic was further amplified by disasters from natural hazard risks such as cyclones and flood as well as human-induced risks triggering the declaration of states of emergencies.
So now, more than ever, we look to garner ways by which to raise our visibility and to invite the international community to support and bolster our resilience-building efforts.
We see the FAO Brussels Dialogue as key opportunity to inspire such unity of support, to identify solutions and pathways for SIDS to improve their food security and livelihoods, and be able to draw inspiration from the FAO projects funded by the European Union. We are aware in the Brussels, of the active engagement of the SIDS ambassadors including our own, through their activities in the framework of the Organization of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) to provide important advocacy awareness and visibility opportunities for discussion and dialogue.
The recently-launched Global Recovery and Response Programme on COVID-19, sees FAO leveraging its mobilizing power to lead international efforts that support tailor-made partnerships and enable connectedness between donors and those most in need of assistance, to recover from and respond to COVID-19.
FAO has also selected six SIDS out of 27 priority countries for the first phrase of its flagship initiative “Hand-in-Hand”. Five of these SIDS are from the Pacific region.
As a central element of the Samoa Pathway, the blueprint for the SIDS of sustainable development, the modality of implementation focuses on strengthening international cooperation and partnerships to address the persistent development challenges SIDS face and to achieve the SDGs.
We note the lead role of FOA in the Global Action Programme on Food Security and Nutrition (GAP) supporting SIDS through policy advice.
As well, they have provided the means of implementation of more sustainable and resilient food systems and associated agriculture, climate change adaption, livestock, fisheries and agriculture, forestry and natural resource management practices.
Furthermore FAO created its first-ever dedicated office on SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs as a way to streamline and coordinate the specific actions across the Organization targeting these special needs countries and their unique specificities.
The high cost of energy, transport and communication lead to development conditions that often curb opportunities for private sector development to stimulate domestic food production, with limited overall investment in commercial agriculture and improved technology.
While we may have far more nutritious food within our countries or sub regions, many factors that include limited or no access, lack of price competitiveness and policy infrastructure, push us to either import or substitute imports with less healthy foods.
These have contributed to the current complex food security and nutrition situation, with SIDS facing a looming health crisis from the triple burden of malnutrition.
It is our hope that the FAO Brussels dialogue will build in-depth understanding of the challenges of SIDS, particularly with the regard to the disruption of food systems in times of COIVD-19, identify the gaps and opportunities for financial and technical assistance on food production as well as identify lessons learned from SIDS in building resilience on food production, against climate change and other natural hazard risks and shocks.
The coalescing of these shared experiences will help Small Islands Developing States mitigate the devastating impacts of COVID-19 in their food systems and ensure the achievement of a sustainable future.
What more can we ask but for you all to be part of the solution?
Thank you for your attention.
