Farmed fish and plants have long contributed to healthy diets, poverty alleviation and rural development. It is only recently, however, that aquaculture has grown to be the leading source of aquatic food, which is expected to meet expanding global dietary demands while also addressing the food security needs of the poor. In order to accelerate the growth and ensure the sustainability of future aquaculture, FAO and NACA with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs invite governments, business, academia and civil society to discuss the theme “Aquaculture for Food and Sustainable Development”. Announcement The GCA+20 has been transformed to a hybrid event, with all international participants connecting remotely. While we had held onto hope to welcome everyone in person, the organizers have made this difficult decision in consideration of our collective safety and wellbeing. For virtual participants, the format creates several benefits: the GCA+20 is free to attend, participation is open, and there are no travel costs. Join the GCA+20 by registering for a series of virtual Zoom Webinars on Thursday 23 September and Friday 24 September. Please see the full announcement for details on how to join the sessions. The format For virtual participants, the format creates several benefits: the GCA+20 is free to attend, participation is open, and there are no travel costs. Join the GCA+20 by registering for a series of virtual Zoom Webinars. Click on the links below to register for each individual session.  For local participants already in China who wish to attend the GCA+20 in person, please contact 2020gca@shou.edu.cn. The GCA+20 will have simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, opening participation for everyone. The programme Nine thematic areas, three keynote speeches, over 100 academic posters and a technical workshop on Artemia are spread over three days of this dynamic programme. Click here to see the provisional programme online Click here to register for Plenary Click here to register for Stream 1 (Orange) Click here to register for Stream 2 (Green) Click here to register for Stream 3 (Purple) The Shanghai Declaration: Connect, collaborate and commit! The Shanghai Declaration represents a road map to optimize the role that aquaculture can play in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The draft Shanghai Declaration was prepared by a small group of globally recognized aquaculture experts, followed by consultations with a wider group with appropriate technical, regional and gender balance, including members of the International Organizing Committee and International Programme Committee. This draft is now open for comment by all registered participants, with the final text to be adopted on the last day of the GCA +20. All registered delegates are invited to provide their feedback and perspectives on the draft Shanghai Declaration (also available online here). The opportunity for providing feedback will be open until 03 September 2021. Only comments from registered participants will be considered; please include your registration number in your email. Registration is available at: click here In preparing your feedback, please bear in mind that we may receive responses from many participants and to keep the process manageable we encourage you to keep your feedback concise and focussed on major issues only. We also encourage organisations and cooperatives to provide collective feedback. We would appreciate it if you could follow the recommendations below when preparing your feedback: All feedback should be made in the comment sheet and sent by email to GCA@fao.org and include the following in the subject line of your email: your Registration Number (you can find this in the e-mail you received in response to your registration) your name and (if relevant) the organisation providing the collective feedback Please refer in your email to the chapter/section number you wish to address. Do not provide mark-up on the Working Document, as this will not be reviewed. The GCA +20 Secretariat will consider all feedback during the finalization of the Shanghai Declaration to the extent possible. To register in the conference and to know details of the declaration, please visit the links below: click here and click here

Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic for Food Security in Asia and the Pacific Join us this Thursday, 26 August at 7:30-9:15am Paris time / 1:30-3:15pm Manila time to discuss challenges and policy responses to ensure food security in Asia and the Pacific through food systems transformation. Event details and agenda Access the event website to learn more about how the event can help clarify the major regional policy agenda and access the detailed agenda with speaker information and a full program.

Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director-General CIRDAP has attended an online discussion session on the 46th Martyrdom Anniversary of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Mourning day of Bangladesh, 15th August. The session was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on 17th August, 2021. Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, M.P. Hon’ble Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh has chaired the event. The dignitaries of different Diplomatic Missions, Representations of the United Nations and International Organizations in Dhaka also attended the program.

A new report from WWF and Tesco, reveals an estimated 2.5 billion tonnes of food goes uneaten around the world each year. That is an increase of approximately 1.2 billion tonnes on the established estimates of 1.3 billion tonnes wasted each year. These new estimates indicate that of all the food grown, approximately 40 per cent goes uneaten, which is higher than the previously estimated figure of 33 per cent. The report focuses on food losses on farms, around and during harvests and slaugher as well as after. This is the first quantification of total on-farm food loss since 2011. When combined with updated data on loss in supply chains and waste at retail and consumption, we have a clearer picture of the scale of food loss and waste from farm to fork demonstrating how important it is to halve food loss and waste through the whole supply chain, not just in retail and consumption. See the full report below: click here

Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all 12 July 2021, Rome – There was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, the United Nations said today – much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19. While the pandemic’s impact has yet to be fully mapped1, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished last year. The number suggests it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honour its pledge to end hunger by 2030. This year’s edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is the first global assessment of its kind in the pandemic era. The report is jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Previous editions had already put the world on notice that the food security of millions – many children among them – was at stake. “Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in our food systems, which threaten the lives and livelihoods of people around the world,” the heads of the five UN agencies2 write in this year’s Foreword. They go on to warn of a “critical juncture,” even as they pin fresh hopes on increased diplomatic momentum. “This year offers a unique opportunity for advancing food security and nutrition through transforming food systems with the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit, the Nutrition for Growth Summit and the COP26 on climate change.” “The outcome of these events,” the five add, “will go on to shape the […] second half of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition” – a global policy commitment yet to hit its stride. The numbers in detail Already in the mid-2010s, hunger had started creeping upwards, dashing hopes of irreversible decline. Disturbingly, in 2020 hunger shot up in both absolute and proportional terms, outpacing population growth: some 9.9 percent of all people are estimated to have been undernourished last year, up from 8.4 percent in 2019. More than half of all undernourished people (418 million) live in Asia; more than a third (282 million) in Africa; and a smaller proportion (60 million) in Latin America and the Caribbean. But the sharpest rise in hunger was in Africa, where the estimated prevalence of undernourishment – at 21 percent of the population – is more than double that of any other region. On other measurements too, the year 2020 was sombre. Overall, more than 2.3 billion people (or 30 percent of the global population) lacked year-round access to adequate food: this indicator – known as the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity – leapt in one year as much in as the preceding five combined. Gender inequality deepened: for every 10 food-insecure men, there were 11 food-insecure women in 2020 (up from 10.6 in 2019). Malnutrition persisted in all its forms, with children paying a high price: in 2020, over 149 million under-fives are estimated to have been stunted, or too short for their age; more than 45 million – wasted, or too thin for their height; and nearly 39 million – overweight.3 A full three-billion adults and children remained locked out of healthy diets, largely due to excessive costs. Nearly a third of women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia. Globally, despite progress in some areas – more infants, for example, are being fed exclusively on breast milk – the world is not on track to achieve targets for any nutrition indicators by 2030. Other hunger and malnutrition drivers In many parts of the world, the pandemic has triggered brutal recessions and jeopardized access to food. Yet even before the pandemic, hunger was spreading; progress on malnutrition lagged. This was all the more so in nations affected by conflict, climate extremes or other economic downturns, or battling high inequality – all of which the report identifies as major drivers of food insecurity, which in turn interact.4 On current trends, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World estimates that Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger by 2030) will be missed by a margin of nearly 660 million people. Of these 660 million, some 30 million may be linked to the pandemic’s lasting effects. What can (still) be done As outlined in last year’s report, transforming food systems is essential to achieve food security, improve nutrition and put healthy diets within reach of all. This year’s edition goes further to outline six “transformation pathways”. These, the authors say, rely on a “coherent set of policy and investment portfolios” to counteract the hunger and malnutrition drivers. Depending on the particular driver (or combination of drivers) confronting each country, the report urges policymakers to: Integrate humanitarian, development and peacebuilding policies in conflict areas – for example, through social protection measures to prevent families from selling meagre assets in exchange for food; Scale up climate resilience across food systems – for example, by offering smallholder farmers wide access to climate risk insurance and forecast-based financing; Strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity – for example, through in-kind or cash support programmes to lessen the impact of pandemic-style shocks or food price volatility; Intervene along supply chains to lower the cost of nutritious foods – for example, by encouraging the planting of biofortified crops or making it easier for fruit and vegetable growers to access markets; Tackle poverty and structural inequalities – for example, by boosting food value chains in poor communities through technology transfers and certification programmes; Strengthen food environments and changing consumer behaviour – for example, by eliminating industrial trans fats and reducing the salt and sugar content in the food supply, or protecting children from the negative impact of food marketing. The report also calls for an “enabling environment of governance mechanisms and institutions” to make transformation possible. It enjoins policymakers to consult widely; to empower women