Luanda - The Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Correia Sako, recently defended, in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), a common position of Africa at the United Nations Summit on “The Food System”, which should lead to the strengthening of action to achieve the Agenda 2063.
According to an African Union note, to which ANGOP has had access, this guidance should be in the line with Malabo Declaration (Equatorial Guinea) on “accelerated growth and transformation of agriculture on the continent and shared prosperity and improve livelihoods”.
The commissioner reinforced this guidance, when speaking at the extra-ordinary event, organized by the specialized Technical Committee to validate the Africa's draft common position on the food system and sustainable development.
“This is an opportunity to build a food system covering enough for all, including the currently forgotten vulnerable, so millions of actors of the agri-food system can be fed along the value chains”, said the African Union Diplomat.
At this meeting, the vision of the 10 years of the sector, was addressed which places agriculture at the center of driving, including economic growth and development to ensure the creation of wealth, food and nutrition.
According to the AU Commissioner, this strategy is guided by the vision of “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa”, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the global arena, for which the AU is tasked to facilitate discussions for achieve African common positions in global forums such as the Post 2015 Development Agenda.
He noted that the continent is adopting a common position for the United Nations Summit, which will provide an aggregation of decisions on key issues that will shape Africa's and global food systems in the coming decades.
To that end, she said, in 2003 Africa adopted the Africa Comprehensive Agricultural Development Program (PCDAA) as a continental policy framework for agricultural transformation, aimed at increasing food and nutrition security and reducing poverty.
This program was reinforced in 2014 with the Malabo Declaration on Agricultural Growth and Transformation, with a set of objectives and targets to be achieved by 2025.
The last biennial of the 2019 review report indicated that the continent, as a whole, was not on track to achieve the goals advocated, so, said the AU commissioner, “Africa is looking for solutions that will help to accelerate the pace of implementation of the Malabo declaration.
The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, will convene, next September, the Summit for the Food System as part of the action strategy to achieve the goals of healthier, more sustainable and more equitable food systems and development by 2030.
In Josefa Sako's view, this UN Summit is an opportunity for Africa to transform its food systems, which have been defined by vulnerability to multiple and overlapping shocks and threats, including the current Covid-19 framework that is reversing the gains achieved.
He noted that nowhere are the challenges of sustainable food systems more severe than in Africa, where access to healthier, safer, affordable and nutritious food remains out of reach for the majority.
Furthermore, she pointed out, it is in Africa where agriculture has remained traditional and basic, “unable to drive a serious industrial take-off, despite being the main economic and social activity''.
The current version of the African position, which was presented, emerged from a wide consultation of various stakeholders, including ongoing national dialogues, which are still incomplete in several countries.
“We’ve also absorbed the various recommendations from the Summit of Ministers of Agriculture, on April 16, 2021, from the Tripartite Ministers of Agriculture, Trade and Finance, on July 27, 2020, and the contributions we received from the Group of Ambassadors of Rome”, assured the AU commissioner.
