The European Commission and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have strengthened their partnership to boost the resilience of millions of people struggling with severe and often prolonged or recurrent food crises around the world. The agreement for €70 million contribution, signed by Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, and the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, José Graziano da Silva, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York today, contributes to the Global Network against Food Crises to promote sustainable solutions to food crises. European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said: “Last year, the Global Network against Food Crises allowed us to take concrete and concerted steps to mitigate food crises and avert famine in northern Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. And we need to scale this up. This additional contribution of €70 million to the FAO will further bolster our partnership and speed upthe network's efforts to tackle hunger globally by strengthening links between humanitarian, development and peace actors, as recommended by UN Security Council Resolution 2417”. The Resolution condemning the starving of civilians as a method of warfare signals a shared ambition to prevent and eradicate conflict-induced hunger. José Graziano da Silva of the FAO commented:“The EU's contribution will help improve the way we detect, prevent and respond to food crises. It will ultimately make hunger-stricken rural communities stronger in the face of emerging food crises. Investing in resilience is key to fighting hunger today and in the future. In view of the magnitude and persistence of food crises, we need to invest more in resilience interventions and create stronger alliances withall parties – humanitarian, development and peace actors – working together to stem hunger.”

Source: European Commission