Archb. Auza: many die of hunger while food is thrown away

(Vatican Radio) Urging all UN member nations to renew efforts to eradicate hunger, Archbishop Bernadito Auza  has pointed out that while many die of hunger, an enormous quantity of food is wasted every day.  

Listen to Archbishop Auza's address to the United Nations General Assembly:

The Vatican Permanent Observer to the United Nations who was speaking to the UN General Assembly gathered to address the issue of “Agriculture development, food security and nutrition”,   pointed out that it is not for lack of food in the world that almost 850 million people suffer acute hunger.

He said that the current levels of world food production are, in fact, sufficient to feed everyone. The problem – Archbishop Auza said – lies in a number of questions such as lack of government support to incentivize commercialization of products, lack of food distribution infrastructure, lack of marketing.

“Sadder still” – he said – “this paradox is also due to a throwaway culture in affluent societies, to deliberate large-scale destruction of food products to keep prices and profit margins high, as well as to other policies that override the common objective of food security for all.”

Auza said the Holy See welcomes the incorporation of food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture as components of the sustainable development goals and their inclusion within the post 2015 Development Agenda, and – he said - it also appreciates the focus of a recent UN report on groups most vulnerable to malnutrition.       

Please find below the full text of Archbishop Auza’s Statement:  

New York, October 28, 2014

Mr. Chair,
Coming together to discuss Agriculture development, food security and nutrition is not and should not become a routine annual exercise. Rather, it must be an occasion for us to echo the cry of the hundreds of millions of people throughout the world who suffer from chronic hunger and food insecurity. It should also remind us of the paradox that while so many die of hunger, an enormous quantity of food is wasted every day.

According to the  Secretary General’s report  on Agriculture  Development, Food Security and Nutrition (A/69/279),  since 1990  there has been a 17% decrease in the number of people suffering from chronic hunger.  While this  fall  indicates a measure of effectiveness of  the efforts over more than two decades in reducing chronic hunger,  it also  means that  we still have  almost  850  million  people  suffering  from  acute  hunger.  The  number  is  already shocking in itself, but what must shock us even more is the fact that behind those numbers are real people, with their fundamental dignity  and rights. Thus, eradicating hunger is not only a high priority development goal; it is a moral imperative.

Yet it is not for lack of food in the world that they suffer acute hunger, because the current levels of world food production are sufficient to feed everyone. The problem lies elsewhere, such as  in  the lack of  conservation  technologies  among smallholder  producers,  in weak or absent government support to incentivize the commercialization of products, or in the lack of infrastructure for better food distribution and marketing.  Sadder  still, this paradox is also  due  to  a throwaway culture in  affluent societies,  to  deliberate  large-scale  destruction of food products  to keep prices and  profit margins  high, as well as to other policies that override the common objective of food security for all. 

The  human  and  socio-economic  costs  of  hunger  and  malnutrition  are  enormous.  There should be no priority greater than this, as food and nutrition underpin all else, be it health, education, the maintenance of peace or the enjoyment of rights. As we renew our efforts to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in the world,  the whole  “United Nations Family” must then embrace  it, putting it  at the forefront of its collective efforts. It is for this reason that the  Holy  See  welcomes  the  incorporation  of  food  security,  nutrition,  and  sustainable agriculture as components of the sustainable development goals and their inclusion within the ost-2015 Development Agenda.  

It is also along this line that the Holy See welcomes the  focus that the  report of the Secretary General  on  Agriculture  Development,  Food  Security  and  Nutrition  (A/69/279)  puts  on those regions of the world where hunger and malnutrition are still at unacceptable levels. 

The Holy See  also appreciates the report’s focus  on  groups  most vulnerable  to malnutrition, like pregnant women and children below five years old. Chronic malnutrition and under nutrition continue to affect too many of the world’s children. Indeed,  each year 51 million children  under  five  years  old  waste  away due  to  malnutrition,  of  whom  close  to  seven million  die. The Secretary General’s report thus  alerts  us  to  the  enormous  challenges that lie ahead.

Mr. Chair,
The theme of this year’s World Food Day,  Family Farming: feeding the world, caring for the earth, tells us that the family is key in the fight to end hunger. It plays a central role in reaching the sustainable future we want. It is a key component of the food systems we need to lead healthier lives. Its on-the-ground presence makes it a privileged agent for promoting a  healthy environment for present and future generations.  This  recognition  of the role of the  family  must be accompanied with policies and initiatives that really respond to the needs of farming families and communities.

Mr. Chair,
In closing,let me draw your attention to next month’s international conference on nutrition in Rome. It aims to bring together government leaders, other top-level policymakers and representatives  of  intergovernmental  organizations  and  civil  society,  to  take  stock  of progress made in improving nutrition and to seek new ways to boost national and global efforts to improve  health. Pope Francis plans to address the conference to express his commitment to the future we want, a future that starts by our common resolve to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.