Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, on Food Security and Conflits - August 3rd, 2023

Mister President,

I thank the briefers for their compelling presentations as focal focal points for this issue at the Council together with Switzerland.

We thank the United States for providing this opportunity to advance our fight against Conflict-Induced Food Insecurity and Malnutrition.

We also congratulate the United States in the initiative and the Council on the adoption of the Presidential Statement on Conflict Induced Food Insecurity.

According to the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition report, it is projected that almost 600 million people will still be facing hunger by 2030. In 2022 alone, 2.4 billion people lacked access to adequate, nutritious, safe and sufficient food.

The combination of impacts from the pandemic, climate shocks, high interest rates, high food and energy prices, and conflicts has put global food security and nutrition in dire straits, with armed conflict figuring as a prominent driver of hunger.

As focal points for this issue at the Council, together with Switzerland, we thank the United States for providing this opportunity to advance our fight against conflict-induced food insecurity and malnutrition.

Mister President,

Brazil believes that the best way to prevent hunger and malnutrition in the long term is to ensure that countries have the capacity to build resilient agrifood systems and markets. We must take into account structural causes of hunger, including inequalities between and within countries, barriers to food trade, unilateral sanctions, and weak or absent social protection and poverty alleviation policies.

To ensure stability and continuity in food production, international attention must be given to supporting sustainable agricultural practices, developing disaster-resilient infrastructures, and promoting diversified agrifood systems.

Ensuring the proper functioning of agrifood systems and markets is essential to sustain food security in conflict situations, as recognized in Resolution 2417/2018.

Facilitating the transfer and access to efficient and productive technologies is central to ensuring diversified, resilient, and sustainable food systems. In line with the Secretary-General Initiative on Early Warnings for All, the international community must support dedicated capacity building in developing countries to allow us to be better prepared for shocks on the availability and accessibility of food.

To reach this goal, cash-transfer programs should be prioritized to sustain both local supply and demand. Additionally, tools such as the IMF Food Shock Window or the Food Import Financing Facility proposed by FAO should be further explored to bridge financing needs, while avoiding market distortions and disruptions.

The reform of multilateral agricultural trade rules is also essential to prevent global food insecurity. Many countries affected by conflicts had their agricultural development restricted by trade and price-distorting subsidies that negatively affect their production capacities.

Another relevant action to be taken is the reform of the international financial institutions with the view to taking into account the perspectives and needs of the developing countries, which, despite bearing the burden of multiples global crises, have little or no say in the decision-making process of these organizations.

Mister President,

An important element of this open debate refers to the collaboration between the Security Council, the UN System and other actors to catalyze global efforts, ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance and minimize the effects of conflict-induced food insecurity.

Member States must fully incorporate in their work the tools already in place in the UN System to fight conflict-induced hunger.

Bodies such as OCHA, WFP and FAO diligently inform on risks of acute food insecurity in countries with conflict situations through different reports, including the white notes mandated by Resolution 2417/2018, to which the Council must dedicate its full attention. An efficient response to conflict-induced famine must encompass the appropriate use of this information and timely and decisive action in response to it.

By prioritizing nutritional needs, strengthening country ownership and participation, and dedicating efforts to peacebuilding through food and nutrition security, Member States can improve their support to countries affected by conflict-induced food and nutrition insecurity.

Mister President,

International humanitarian law strictly prohibits starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and grants special protection to objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, including food crops, livestock, and other essential resources necessary for food production.

However, even when parties to a conflict comply with international humanitarian law, food systems can be disrupted by the secondary impacts of conflict. We therefore need to be aware and to address the bottlenecks and challenges in global food systems resulting from armed conflict.

Humanitarian exemptions, essential to the survival of the civilian population, also need to be systematically included in sanction regimes and counterterrorism measures. Otherwise, humanitarian actors have to overcome complex legal, financial and logistical roadblocks to ensure that those in need get appropriate assistance.

Mister President,

Humanitarian needs play a central role, but they can be better supported if coupled with development-oriented measures, such as dedicated agricultural, technical and subsistence support.

International cooperation - generous, sustained, result-oriented international cooperation in its many forms - is essential to achieve this goal. Brazil has been active in promoting such cooperation with fellow developing countries, especially in Africa and Latin America. We pledge to do more.

Each situation of conflict presents different challenges for agrifood systems and the affected populations.

For instance, as recently reported by FAO, in many cases women are still more vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity as they continue to face additional risks, barriers, and disadvantages due to their gender.

Mister President,

Our response to conflict-induced food insecurity must involve the three pillars of the UN. Humanitarian needs must be met, and its delivery allowed in an unimpeded and impartial manner.

The Council must use its political capacity to push for partial or permanent solutions to conflicts that can alleviate challenges related to food accessibility.

Technical assistance, trade reforms, financing for market access and sustainable development must all be intensified.

We will remain fully engaged in all these fronts and continue to be a firm advocate of the right of every person to sufficient, nutritious and adequate food.

I reaffirm the highest priority given by the Brazilian government to eliminate hunger in all situations and to achieve SDG-2 by 2030.

I leave you with a final thought: the only assured way to end conflict-induced hunger is peace.

I thank you.