Nourishing Africa through improved nutrition and sustainable food systems: African launch of the EAT-Lancet Report

During an official side event at the 32^nd African Union Assembly, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – the SUN Movement, EAT and NEPAD came together to focus on the question – How to Nourish Africa through improved nutrition and sustainable food systems?

The side event officially Launched the EAT-Lancet Commission Report on Food, Planet, Health to an audience of over 100 policymakers focusing on the importnace of nutrition for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want.

The event featured Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO, AUDA- NEPAD, H.E. Amb. Mrs. Sacko Josefa Leonel Correa, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture and H.E. Mrs. Amira El Fadil Mohammed Elfadil, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs.

The speakers encouraged the need to support a continent-wide coordination mechanism for nutrition under the African Union. H.E Sacko stressed that findings of the report should feed into Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Prpgramme and Malabo Declaration in order to help bring down stunting to 10 per cent by 2025.

Speakers recognized that good nutrition is the starting point and the foundation for a sustainable future.  “It is crucial for building the human capital needed for a healthy and prosperous world”, said H.E Sacko.

The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) CEO and member of the SUN Lead Group, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, opened the meeting and declared that, “Most of the stakeholders are convinced that we need to address nutrition challenges in Africa. Therefore, this report highlights one critical area, that of re-orienting agricultural production from just producing food in huge quantities. The quality of the food that is produced needs to improve sustainably.”

Dr. Gunhild Stordalen, Executive Chair and Founder, EAT formally launched the report – an unprecedented collaborative effort, bringing together over 30 world-class experts in health, nutrition, agriculture, environmental science and policy, to create a universal reference point for global food system transformation. “For the first time, we will have scientific targets for what constitutes both a healthy diet and a sustainable food system”, said Dr. Stordalen.

Ms. Gerda Verburg, Coordinator of the SUN Movement facilitated a multistakeholder panel reacting to the report.  Speakers noted that adhering to the report’s findings could unleash unprecedented progress towards the bold visions of Africa Agenda 2063. Though action in Africa, must be led by African governments and with support from international public and private sector partners playing supportive roles.

“We have heard about the WHAT, now we need to hear the HOW from civil society, private sector and regional communities when it comes to making food systems work for nutrition”

Gerda Verburg, UN Assistant Secretary-General and SUN Movement Coordinator

The representatives from civil society, the private sector and regional economic communities discussed how to communicate the findings to the public, convene business and dialogue over what must change and how regional hubs can promote cross learning for improving nutrition.

Read the report

• Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems

‘Another solution to addressing food insecurity, We need to capitalize on the role of informal markets that are supplying food to low income households. We must encourage the formation of Informal Traders Associations for e.g.’ says @NEPAD_Agency CEO, @NEPAD_Mayaki pic.twitter.com/FFimcJIi03

— AUDA-NEPAD (@NEPAD_Agency) February 7, 2019