Statement by Prime Minister of Nepal Rt. Honourable Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba at the Food Systems Summit
New York, 23 September 2021
Mr. President,
Excellencies the Heads of State and Government
Mr. Secretary General, and
Distinguished Delegates.
First, I would like to commend the Secretary-General for convening this Summit.
There is no better time than this to deliberate on food systems. Today one in every ten people on Earth is under-nourished, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened food insecurity.
With disruptions in supply chains and rising food prices, the situation in LDCs and LLDCs is all the more acute.
It is important for this Summit to be bold. We must translate our commitment into building food systems fit for the future.
Mr. President,
A mountainous country, Nepal has a food system that is highly vulnerable to disasters caused by climate change and extreme weather.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further limited our fiscal space, endangered our food chains, and risked reversing our development gains.
Despite these hardships, the Government under my leadership has adopted pro-poor and inclusive policies to tackle poverty and hunger, to save people’s lives, and to rebuild the economy to make it better and stronger.
My government aims to protect farmers engaged in food production by adopting a life cycle approach.
These efforts are made in line with our constitution’s promise to ensure affordable, healthy, and nutritious food for all Nepali people.
We are determined to achieve zero hunger by 2030.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Transformative investment in agriculture will be crucial to ensure food security for all. This includes harnessing modern technologies and making high yield seed variants available in all countries.
Nepal remains committed to our collective efforts to ensure that nutritious food is a reality for all.
Thank you very much.