“The twin crises of Covid 19 and Climate Change mean that Food Systems are on the global agenda like never before,” UN Resident Coordinator Sanaka Samarinha told today’s Fiji Food Systems Summit National Dialogue.    “We have an unprecedented opportunity for positive transformative change! But this will take commitment on the part of all of us to listen to each other and learn from each other as we pursue sustainable solutions,” Samarasinha said.  Samarasinha outlined four key recommendations on strengthening food systems in Fiji and the Pacific.  Full statement below:  UN Multi-Country Resident Coordinator Office (Suva) UN Resident Coordinator FIJI FOOD SYSTEMS SUMMIT ADDRESS – 21 July 2021 Honourable Prime Minister, Honourable Ministers, the National Convenor, Distinguished guests, Bula Vinaka. The health of our food systems greatly affects the health of our people, the health of our environment, our economy, our culture, our way of life. In other words, it touches every aspect of human existence. Globalised, industrialised food systems are in crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation. According to the 2021 UN Report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition, the number of chronically undernourished people has risen to 811 million, while almost a third of the world's population has no access to adequate food. Despite global commitments to end hunger by 2030 in Sustainable Development Goal 2, the number of people who are food-insecure has risen since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated hunger and is anticipated to add between 83 and 132 million more people to the number in chronic undernourishment. Malnutrition, including both micronutrient deficiencies or so-called “hidden hunger” as well as overweight and obesity now plague 3.4 billion people worldwide. As a result, the FAO now identifies non-communicable diseases from poor diets as the number one cause of premature death globally. Faced with these realities, no one will dispute the fact that we need a radical transformation towards a just, inclusive and truly sustainable global food system. And we need it now! For this reason, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, declared that in September we would convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.  The Food Systems Summit and the National Dialogues leading up to the summit offer us an opportunity to agree on urgent national, regional and global actions needed to establish inclusive, sustainable and equitable food systems. These national dialogues in particular, which the UN is supporting in practically every country in the Pacific, will not only ensure that the region’s unique perspectives are considered during the summit, but they also serve as an opportunity for countries to recalibrate their own approaches to food systems and find local solutions for local problems.    As you begin your deliberations today, I would like to suggest four key areas for your consideration: First – We need to place a more urgent emphasis on the nexus between food and the health of our nation.  Pacific rates of NCDs and accompanying risk factors are some of the highest in the world and are responsible for up to 84 per cent of deaths in Fiji.   Among other things, when considering the health of a society in the Pacific, we need to examine carefully the role that the reliance on food imports plays. WFP’s 2020 macro analysis of the agricultural import dependency for Pacific countries showed worrying overall market and trade vulnerabilities. With an import ratio calculation for cereals in Fiji hovering at 84% - in other words, food imports vastly exceed exports in Fiji. High import-dependency has complex health and economic implications for Pacific Islanders resulting in over consumption of imported processed foods. This has a direct effect on the prevalence of obesity in this region, where currently over 50% of Pacific Islanders are overweight or obese. We need to improve policies and regulatory standards for healthy and safe food, adopt taxation-based approaches, prepare food-based dietary guidelines and promote innovation in the food safety system. We must also recognize the importance of local production of nutrient-rich foods to address NCDs and food-related diseases and find creative ways to encourage more consumers – especially parents and young people. Second – We must take concerted action to enhance the resilience and sustainability of agricultural and food production systems Food insecurity as a result of the agricultural damages and losses caused by the three major cyclones to hit Fiji since Harold in May 2020 has been exacerbated by the catastrophic loss of jobs and income because of COVID-19. The combined effects will have a long-lasting impact on the nation’s food security, value chains and livelihoods Here in the Pacific, food systems should be based on resilient traditional foods, multiplication of resilient crop varieties and should include adoption of improved sustainable farming practices such as proper land management and land use planning that have been successful in similar climates around the world. Third - Blue Foods should be at the heart of Pacific Food Systems Blue foods have traditionally been undervalued in their contribution to global food systems. Yet they are incredible sources of locally produced nutrition for millions of people around the world. At the same time, ‘Blue Foods’ is a topic that is unfortunately not given the platform it deserves in global discourses, and a topic that should lead the way in any Pacific Food systems discussion and should comprise a valuable input from the region into the deliberations at the global summit. The Food System Summit Scientific Group has already recognised the important role that blue food plays in Food Systems. This role is particularly important in the Pacific region, but too often, the benefits of blue food from the region are reaped not by Pacific Islanders but by those who harvest the resources of the Blue Pacific from countries around the world. At the same time, this contribution by the Pacific to the global food system is highly under recognised. Transforming our food system in the region will require a new mind-set and a more careful consideration of blue foods. It would be timely to consider a scientific assessment of blue foods and their potential to contribute to sustainable and just food systems followed by the introduction of innovative approaches drawing on global good practices to address gaps to significantly bolster the blue food ecosystem. Fourth – Partnership is key. The twin crises of COVID19 and Climate Change mean that Food Systems are on the global agenda like never before. We have an unprecedented opportunity for positive transformative change! But this will take commitment on the part of all of us to listen to each other and learn from each other as we pursue sustainable solutions. Each of the 5 Fiji Food Systems Summit Action Track dialogues, have highlighted the importance of multi-sector collaboration to enable more equitable and inclusive participation. Historically, food has been seen as a commodity or the domain of one or two Ministries such as agriculture or fisheries or been captured by big business with little voice for consumers. To compound matters, one of the most challenging aspects of building a viable and just food system around the world is the low level of trust we have in each other in many countries. The UN Secretary General through this summit is calling on governments, companies and communities to work together to build that trust. And so, we must expand the conversation to involve everyone with a stake in food systems until we arrive at the solutions that will end hunger and malnutrition, protect the environment, and increase equity. To quote Agnes Kalibata, the Secretary General’s Envoy for the Food Systems Summit: “Democratizing the discussion about food systems is vital because people do not eat ideas and policies, they eat food grown and delivered by other people, who work in fields, in factories, in research labs, in distribution centers, in shops, and in restaurants. It is all of these people who have the knowledge, insights, and understanding to help improve the system at large and make it more inclusive, more sustainable, and more resilient.” From wet markets to farmers markets, from supply chains to production lines, from land management to fishing practices, there is an urgent need to ensure the entirety of any Food system is inclusive. I would like to commend the commitment demonstrated in previous dialogues to developing protection mechanisms targeting hard to reach poor rural people, with a strong focus on women and youth. I urge everyone to also extend these protections to persons with disabilities, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Beyond protections – it is imperative that all food systems discussions, solutions and pathways are inclusive. What we eat and drink is a deeply personal and intimate exercise. And so, everyone’s voice matters. It is only through such a diverse stakeholder owned process that we can finally arrive at an equitable, nutritious and sustainable food system for all. Dear friends, these National Food System Summit Dialogues are a critical element of the Summit preparatory process because they ensure that the voice of the Pacific will be heard in the global discussion. The conversation that you will have here today will enhance international analysis, lead to innovative regional exploration and the development of game changing national solutions. I look forward to shining a light on the outcomes of this dialogue and those around the Pacific in September’s World Food Summit. We must ensure that the challenges you identify along with the solutions you propose are recognised and result in a commitment made by the UN member states to strengthen food systems that are particularly fragile in our region and Small Islands Developing States in general.   But above all I look forward to taking the steps needed together to inclusively and sustainably meet national food system needs beyond the summit. Taking the World Summit Outcomes as a guidance and holding participants to account while rolling up our sleeves locally and making the difference for those at risk on every one of our beautiful Pacific islands. Ultimately, global partnerships and local commitment and action must go hand in hand. I thank you again and wish you the best in your deliberations. Vinaka Vakalevu.  

Fiji must continue to lead in the battle to address climate change challenges - with real action that has the protection and empowerment of all people at its core UN Resident Coordinator Sanaka Samarasinha today urged the Fiji national consultation on climate mobility. The UN is calling for actions that promote multi-stakeholder partnerships, responses grounded in local realities, strengthened local capacities that focuses attention on emerging risks, while advancing social cohesion and respect for human rights and dignity. Full Statement Below: Pacific Climate Change Migration and Human Security Fiji National Consultations on Climate Mobility Statement by UN Resident Coordinator Sanaka Samarasinha Tuesday, 20 July 2021 Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.   On behalf of the UN family, welcome to the Fiji national consultations on climate related mobility. We gather virtually at a very difficult time for Fiji and Fijians as we go to battle against a devastating pandemic here and around the world. But it isn’t only about winning battles. There is a war to win. While we will no doubt win this battle in a matter of weeks or months, the war we are in dear friends is another story. For many in the Pacific it is an existential threat that affects every facet of our lives: our homes, our jobs, our health, our culture, our lands and seas and our way of life.    As some people around the world continue to rape and plunder our planet at will for short term gains, just last year alone the world lost 150 billion USD because of climate induced disaster. In the meantime, the climate crisis has also sparked a crisis of mobility: around the world. In 2019 alone, some 23.9 million people were involuntarily displaced by weather-related disasters.  According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, more than 50,000 people in the Pacific region are at risk of having to flee their homes each year due to extreme weather events. For some of them, returning home eventually will not be an option.  Pacific islanders are amongst those most at risk of being displaced and for bearing the brunt of sudden and slow-onset effects of climate change with humanitarian consequences.   In Fiji, for too many people, climate migration is not simply some academic conversation about a futuristic possibility. It is the reality, here and now. I spent a fair amount of time with various communities affected by TC Harold, Yasa and Ana in the last year all across Vanua Levu and Kadavu and traveling to 15 islands in the Lau group. I have witnessed first-hand the damage climate-induced disasters can bring, the pain and suffering, the displacement, but I have also seen the abiding resilience of families and communities in the face of these vulnerabilities.  In Kadavu, some low-lying coastal communities have already been moved to higher ground. I visited one such community last year where they described to me how the rising sea level had swallowed much of the shoreline and told me how they had to wade through sea water inside their homes during king tides. I heard similar stories when I traveled to an informal settlement on the outskirts of Lautoka. I visited another community near Ba that had to move in its entirety after a landslide buried a family of five during a storm. More than 80 communities have been earmarked by the government across the country for potential relocation, and the number is increasing.   But this country and its people have not sat on the sidelines lamenting their plight, expecting the rest of the world to come to its rescue. It has taken up the challenge and led from the front in every battle of this war. While it deals with the impacts of a crisis it didn’t help create – three cyclones in 12 months, entire communities needing to be relocated and the consequences of ever increasing floods and droughts, Fiji continues to punch well above its weight and lead the charge on climate action globally. Fiji became the first country in the world to formally approve the UN climate deal agreed by 195 nations in Paris. The Agreement among other things, established the Task Force on Displacement. As we begin our deliberations today, I would like to remind ourselves of some key recommendations of that Taskforce that remain urgent here in Fiji and across the Pacific. First – Adopt and implement national and subnational legislation, policies, and strategies recognizing the importance of integrated approaches to avert, minimize, and address displacement related to adverse impacts of climate change and issues around human mobility, taking into consideration human rights and other relevant international standards, and with interministerial and cross-sectoral inputs, with the participation of relevant stakeholders; Second - Enhance research, data collection, risk analysis, and sharing of information, to better map, understand and manage human mobility related to the adverse impacts of climate change. Third – Strengthen preparedness, including early warning systems, contingency planning, evacuation planning, and resilience building strategies and plans, and develop innovative approaches, such as forecast-based financing, to avert, minimize and address displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change; Fourth – Integrate human mobility challenges and opportunities into national planning processes, including nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans. Fifth – Protect and assist persons internally displaced in the context of climate change, and strengthen efforts to find durable solutions, taking into account the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and other relevant international standards; Sixth – Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, by considering the needs of migrants and displaced persons, communities of origin, transit and destination, and by enhancing opportunities for regular migration pathways, including through labour mobility It is time to move beyond the rhetoric, it is time for real action. As you contemplate today on what action to take, remember Fiji’s global advocacy on climate change and its leadership on climate action through example gives the country the moral authority and unique opportunity to show the rest of the world how climate mobility must be addressed: through a human security lense. “people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people.” It is an approach that calls for integrated actions; promotes multi-stakeholder partnerships, reinforces responses grounded in local realities and strengthened local capacities and focuses attention on emerging risks while emphasizing social cohesion and advancing respect for human rights and dignity.     Allow me to close by quoting the Honorable Prime Minister of Fiji, “Climate driven displacement is not a doomsday proposition; it is happening right now. In response we have to change and adapt as quickly as the climate.”  I wish you all a fruitful dialogue.   Vinaka vaka levu.

The United Nations wishes to convey our deepest condolences to the family of Ambassador (Ret.d) Litia Gasagasa Mawi.   The United Nations fondly recalls with much gratitude H.E Mawi’s efforts during the United Nations 75th Anniversary last year in her capacity as a senior advisor in my office. Her compassion, charisma and strong sense of empathy for people from all walks of life helped ensure a very inclusive global conversation with a unique Pacific tinge on “The future we want, the UN we need.”    Her efforts to help us hear voices from all segments of the population in our promise to “leave no one behind” was unrelenting as was her staunch commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. She provided us all great insights through her own life on how to ensure that older people and young people can work together in a meaningful way to save our planet.   We regard her as a true champion of the United Nations in the Pacific. Her drive to bring attention to inter-generational dialogue, highlighting key issues and opportunities on climate change, gender and Pacific diplomacy will be missed. The sincerity, passion and wisdom that she brought, inspired and guided the team during those months and will continue be cherished by all of them.   We also wish to acknowledge her role as a United Nations Volunteer, which she took post-retirement. This clearly demonstrated her “forever ageless” attitude and her determination to continue serving the people of the Pacific.   H.E Mawi served for a year as an International Specialist with the planning and budget department of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in the Government of Tuvalu, based in Funafuti through the UN. A passionate and committed volunteer, she never stopped serving as a UNV, championing the values of volunteerism in numerous capacities both at the national and regional level and provided advice on how volunteerism can be innovative within a South-South cooperation platform. She also supported UNV and partners shape up a consultation process in the research and design of Volunteering for the SDGs Accelerator Toolkit and helped to get submissions and gauge interest from the Pacific for the Global Technical Meeting 2020 on the theme “Reimagining Volunteerism for the 2030 Agenda”.   H.E Mawi was also part of the Technical Working Group for the Global Technical Meeting and the Regional Asia-Pacific Conference of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) in Bangkok in 2019. She was compassionate and truly embraced the values of volunteering, often giving her time to assist where and when needed.  We recognize that her passing away will not only leave a void in the diplomatic community and the UN family, but she will be greatly missed by the many she touched beyond Fiji and the Pacific. H.E Mawi will always remain within our hearts, and we include her family sincerely in our thoughts and prayers as they try to overcome the sorrow of her loss.  

The Decade of Action and Small Island Developing States: Measuring and addressing SIDS’ vulnerabilities to accelerate SDG progress Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face a unique set of vulnerabilities which impede their ability to achieve sustainable development. Structural factors, including their size, remoteness, limited resource base, market size, exposure to climate risks and natural disasters impact socio economic outcomes and their ability to achieve the SDGs. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified those vulnerabilities with many SIDS countries being particularly affected by the drop in international tourism and travels and international remittances. To support the UN effort to develop a sound and robust Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), this Working Paper presents a new pilot framework and MVI for tracking SIDS structural vulnerabilities by distinguishing across different SIDS categories. Based on this pilot framework and indicators retained, our preliminary results underline that SIDS tend to be particularly vulnerable compared with other world regions. At the same time, the type of vulnerability faced by Atlantic/Indian SIDS, Caribbean SIDS, and Pacific SIDS tends to vary and may require different types of financing mechanisms and development pathways to support resilience, emergency responses and sustainable development. The initial results also emphasize the strong negative correlation between high structural vulnerabilities and poor SDG outcomes, including extreme poverty, life expectancy and subjective well-being. This Working Paper aims to provide an initial basis for further discussions on measuring multidimensional vulnerabilities and on the relationship between vulnerabilities and SDG achievement and financing mechanisms. We welcome comments and feedback on these preliminary results. https://resources.unsdsn.org/the-decade-of-action-and-small-island-developing-states