World Food Day

• IAS NEXT, Lucknow
• 20, Oct 2021

World Food Day is being celebrated every year on October 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the  the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945.

The theme for World Food Day this year is “Our actions are our future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

Background:

World Food Day was established in November 1979, as suggested by former Hungarian minister of agriculture and food Dr Pal Romany. It gradually became a way to raise awareness about hunger, malnutrition, sustainability and food production.

About FAO:

It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Headquarters: Rome, Italy.

Founded: 16 October 1945.

Goal of FAO: Their goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

Important reports and Programmes (Have a brief overview):

1. Global Report on Food Crises.
2. Every two years, FAO publishes the State of the World’s Forests.
3. FAO and the World Health Organization created the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1961 to develop food standards, guidelines and texts.
4. In 1996, FAO organized the World Food Summit. The Summit concluded with the signing of the Rome Declaration, which established the goal of halving the number of people who suffer from hunger by the year 2015.
5. In 1997, FAO launched TeleFood, a campaign of concerts, sporting events and other activities to harness the power of media, celebrities and concerned citizens to help fight hunger.
6. The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to attract public and media attention to the unacceptable situation that some 1 billion people continue to suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition in a time of unprecedented plenty.
7. In 2004 the Right to Food Guidelines were adopted, offering guidance to states on how to implement their obligations on the right to food.
8. FAO created the International Plant Protection Convention or IPPC in 1952.
9. FAO is depositary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, also called Plant Treaty, Seed Treaty or ITPGRFA, entered into force on 29 June 2004.
10. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Partnership Initiative was conceptualized in 2002 during World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.