The United Nations(UN)’s World Food Day is annually observed across the globe on October 16th to create awareness about the section of people across the globe that suffer from extreme hunger and the need to ensure healthy diets for all.
The day commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations(FAO) on 16th October 1945.
- 16th October 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of FAO.
The theme of World Food Day 2021 is “Our actions are our future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life”.
Note:
World Food day 2021 is the first International Day to be celebrated at Expo 2020 Dubai on 16th October 2021 as a series of activities.
Expo 2020 Dubai – from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022 on the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.
Background:
i.The observance of World Food Day was unanimously decided by the Conference of the FAO at its 20th session.
ii.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/35/70 and proclaimed the 16th October of every year as World Food Day.
iii.The first ever World Food Day was observed on 16th October 1981.
Junior World Food Day – October 5:
Junior World Food Day was celebrated on 5th October 2021, is a special event that took place during the education track of the World Food Forum(1-5 October 2021).
UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS):
i.The UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres has convened the first-ever UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) as part of the Decade of Action to achieve Sustainable Development.
ii.UNFSS launched bold new actions, solutions and strategies to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to transform the way the world produces and consumes food.
FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative:
i.Hand-in-Hand Initiative, a flagship programme of FAO aims to boost rural transformation, urban food systems and resilient agri-food systems by scaling up investments.
ii.At present around 34 countries has joined the programme.
Additional info:
i.More than 1 billion people across the globe are employed in the agri-food systems which is more than any other economic sector:
ii.In 2020, the number of people affected by hunger has increased to 811 million.
iii.FAO estimates that up to 40 to 50 billion USD in annual investment on targeted interventions are needed to end hunger by 2030.
About Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations(FAO):
FAO was founded on 16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Canada.
Director-General– QU Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
