UN chief asks govts, firms to work towards expanding equitable access to nutritious meals

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that food should be seen as a fundamental human right and not just a commodity. “We need to re-think how we see and value food -- not simply as a commodity to be traded, but as a right that every person shares,” the UN chief was quoted by ANI as saying.   

Guterres added that the UN Food Systems Summit had assembled farmers and fishers, the younger generation, native communities, national leaders and administration, and others in an attempt to transform the food industry and to put the planet on the path to complete all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030. The United Nations chief went on to say that food which is a basic necessity, a human right, is still unfulfilled in several nations, communities, as well as households throughout the world.

 "Every day, hundreds of millions of people go to bed hungry,” he said and expressed that children all around the globe are starving and deprived of nutrients. He further added that a nutritious diet is out of reach for three billion people. Whereas, overweight or obese people account for two billion people, yet, there are 462 million people that are underweight. He revealed that approximately a third of all food that is produced is lost or thrown away. 

UN chief urges governments to work towards expanding access to nutritious meals 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged governments and companies to work together to expand access to nutritious meals, which also includes encouraging new practices. He also called on people to work together to create food systems that will defend worldwide citizens. "Throughout, we need to strengthen the resilience of local food systems to external shocks, like conflict, climate change and pandemics," Guterres remarked.  

The United Nations chief anticipates that a world should be created where everyone, everywhere, has access to good and nutritious food. Despite the fact that agricultural systems are accountable for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 80% of biodiversity loss, the secretary-general stated that the food industry must perform a leadership role in tackling all of the globe's issues in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030. 

"We need food systems that support the health and well-being of all people," the UN chief added. He also emphasised that poverty, starvation, and famine are not natural occurrences, but rather these are the outcome of the people's choices or lack of actions taken to prevent it. 

(Image: AP/ Pixabay)