No sustainable development without eradication of hunger and extreme poverty

Joint statement by FAO, IFAD, WFP and Bioversity on Rio+20 Summit

20 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Rome

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and Bioversity International have issued the following statement on the occasion of the Rio+20 conference.

FAO, IFAD, WFP and Bioversity- Joint statement on Rio+20

We stand at a crossroads: it lies within our reach to eliminate hunger and poverty, using methods that do not compromise the future of life on this planet. That is the essence of sustainability. It will require not just universal acceptance of the right of every person to be free from hunger, but also profound changes in the way we produce and consume food and manage the earth's resources.

Rio+20 gives us a golden opportunity to bring together the agendas of food security and sustainable development to build the future we want. Increasingly, we know how to eliminate hunger and poverty in ways that also promote sound management of natural resources, encourage social inclusion and drive economic growth.

There are 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty, and close to 900 million chronically undernourished. An additional 1 billion suffer from "hidden hunger", a lack of vitamins and minerals. Undernourishment in children prevents them from ever reaching their full physical and cognitive potential, costing lives, livelihoods and economic growth. We must all understand that the Rio vision of sustainable development cannot be achieved as long as hunger and extreme poverty persist...

Source: Joint statement by FAO, IFAD, WFP and Bioversity on Rio+20 Summit
Author: FAO

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