WTO, FAO, WBG calls for G20 coordination to address causes of food insecurity

The World Trade Organisation (WTO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank Group (WBG) have urged the G20 to coordinate efforts on tackling the root causes of food insecurity across the world.

The three top-class global organisations, in a report, came up with the call on April 13 amid the catastrophic world economic condition.

The report emphasises the need for a unified approach and suggests that the G20 is in a unique position to facilitate collective action.

It recommends focusing on improving the supply of development finance to support agriculture investments and to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth in rural areas.

The report, titled “Rising Global Food Insecurity: Assessing Policy Responses”, was produced at the request of G20 leaders in their G20 Bali Declaration of November 2022, where they asked the FAO and WBG to undertake a mapping exercise on the global response to rising food insecurity, identify any gaps in this response, and recommend further actions to eradicate hunger.

The outbreak of the Covid‐19 pandemic in early 2020 and the war in Ukraine have adversely affected the global economy and contributed to the further deterioration of the global food security situation.

The FAO Food Price Index increased steadily since mid‐2020 and surged by 12.6 percent from February to March 2022, reaching its highest historical level.

International food and fertiliser prices have since declined but remained at a relatively high level.

global community, including the G20, responded with humanitarian assistance, new initiatives and political commitments to mitigate the impacts of rising food prices and the disruptions to the food and fertiliser supply chains and markets.

This report was produced at the request of G20 Leaders, through their G20 Bali Declaration of November 2022, for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank Group (WBG) to undertake a mapping exercise on the global responses to rising food insecurity, with the objective to identify any major gaps in these responses.

The present report was prepared the FAO, the WBG and the WTO and delivered it to the G20 Troika in April 2023.