Resolution on the next steps towards attaining global goals and EU commitments on nutrition and food security in the world

The European Parliament adopted by 450 votes to 213 with 13 abstentions a resolution tabled by the Committee on Development on the next steps towards attaining global goals and EU commitments on nutrition and food security in the world.

Members recalled that SDG 2 (Sustainable Development Goals) and its associated targets aim at ending hunger and malnutrition by 2030. They also recalled that the projected global population will be 8.5 billion by 2030 and that it was crucial that the right to food be fulfilled.

They noted that biofuel production has introduced a new pressure into the global food system, providing competition for land and water. Members noted, furthermore, that by 2050, 70 % of the world’s population will live in cities and a combined global and local approach to nutrition will be more vital than ever before.

Against this background, Parliament reaffirmed the importance of genuinely coordinated and accelerated actions among global, national, local, governmental, non-governmental and private actors, including scientific and industrial research bodies, and among donors, to address malnutrition. It called on the Commission, the Council, the Member States and the international community, to mobilise long-term financial investments for food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture.

Members felt it is essential to tackle the systemic problems that generate poor nutrition. They suggested reinvestment in local food production, focused in particular on small-scale food producers and agro-ecological practices,

Parliament noted with concern that one third of the food produced worldwide – some 1.3 billion tonnes – is wasted. It observed that in total the EU produces 88 million tonnes of food waste per annum, while worldwide 842 million people – 12 % of the world’s population – go hungry. It stressed the need to adapt all food systems to eliminate loss or wastage of food.

More policy coherence: Members urged the Commission and Member States to pay attention to Policy Coherence for Development in their activities and, accordingly, to consider the ramifications of their policies on trade, agriculture, energy, etc. for global food security. They deeply deplored the land grabbing carried out by foreign investors, which hits local small-scale farmers and contributes to food insecurity and poverty.

They called on the international community and the EU to work with countries to support the definition and implementation of context-specific, feasible and robust national nutrition targets that are consistent with the Policy Coherence for Development.

Promote local agriculture: Members underlined that local food production should be given priority in actions against under nutrition, and stressed the importance of supporting smallholder and female farmers as food producers. They called on the EU to encourage a fundamental shift towards agro ecology as a way for countries to feed themselves and improve nutrition. They also stressed that the level of investment in nutrition remains essentially inadequate, with nutrition-specific interventions receiving only 0.57 % of global official development assistance in 2014.

Members invited the Commission and the Council, to ensure EU political leadership and promote at global and regional level the attainment of internationally agreed nutrition targets. 

EU aid: Parliament called on the EU to ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production.

It stressed that humanitarian aid addressing the problem of wasting (low weight for height) needs to be complemented by Commission strategies linking humanitarian and development interventions. Development programmes should tackle wasting in children under five immediately and effectively.

Members also stressed the importance of promoting nutrition education programmes in schools and local communities, as well as social support to increase resistance and fight against malnutrition.

Parliament underlined the need to support breastfeeding in developing countries, since this is the most natural and best source of food for new-born babies and young children.

It invited the Commission to take on a stronger leadership in the field of food security and nutrition, by scaling up its commitments through an additional commitment of EUR 1 billion addressing nutrition-specific interventions.

Performance indicators: Parliament called for the development of specific indicators for tracking nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific spending. It also invited the Commission to improve nutrition-sensitive disaggregated and comprehensive data collection so as to better target future action.

Lastly, Parliament called on the EU to:

• cooperate with farmers on affordable, locally adapted and improved varieties of crops;
• not to support GMO crops when fulfilling their commitments on nutrition and food security in the world.