The Africa Union (AU) recognizes the magnitude of the problems of
hunger, poverty and food and nutrition insecurity which has resulted
in malnutrition particularly affecting children and women. We
acknowledge and appreciate the global initiatives to address these
problems as demonstrated by the launch of the Scale Up Nutrition (SUN)
in September 2010.
In response to the unacceptable hunger and malnutrition situation,
African Heads of State and Governments adopted the Maputo Declaration
in 2003 aimed at reducing hunger, poverty, and malnutrition on the
Continent through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development
Programme (CAADP). In April 2004, an all Africa Conference held in
Kampala under the theme “Assuring Food and Nutrition Security in
Africa by 2020: prioritizing actions, strengthening actors and
facilitating partnerships” which among others proposed an Africa Food
and Nutrition Security Day (AFNSD). Subsequently, in July 2010, the AU
Summit held in Kampala, Uganda passed a Decision on the AFNSD to be
commemorated annually on 30th of October. The AFNSD was officially
launched in Lilongwe, Malawi in October 2010. Furthermore, the African
Ministers of Health committed to the commemoration of the AFNSD during
the 5th Conference of African Health Ministers held in Windhoek,
Namibia in April of 2011.
The overall objective of the AFNSD is to provide a stakeholder
platform and leadership at all levels, and to facilitate discussions
between governments, civil society, the private sector, the scientific
community, farmers and development partners. Sharing research results,
experiences, lessons learnt and knowledge arising from actions taken
to concretize the reduction of poverty, hunger food and nutrition
insecurity are key in staging the AFNSD. Therefore the main purpose of
the AFNSD is to serve as a rallying point in intensifying commitments
at all levels and all times to address the challenges of food and
nutrition insecurity and malnutrition in Africa.
While the SUN one year country progress reports are being reviewed in
New York, AU and NEPAD are preparing this years’ commemoration of the
AFNSD under the theme “Investing in Intra-African Trade for Food and
Nutrition Security”. This theme is in line with the theme for the
2012 January AU Summit, and is also linked to five major sub themes
which relate to AU-NEPAD’s food and nutrition flagship programmes,
namely the Dietary Diversity, Home Grown School Feeding, Food
Fortification, Maternal and Childs’ Health and Nutrition and the
Interrelationship between trade and food and nutrition security.
Boosting Intra-Africa Trade will contribute to poverty alleviation,
improved food and nutrition security, household income, increased food
production, access to markets and economic growth which are all
relevant to the issues being deliberated in New York this week.
In conclusion success of the SUN and related Initiatives in Africa
will largely depend on capacity building and use of the effective
structures and policies within Africa. In view of this, AU and NEPAD
urge the multiple stakeholders involved in Scaling Up Food and
Nutrition Security in Africa to help strengthen the management and
implementation of this initiative.
We invite everyone to participate in and provide support for the first
commemoration of the AFNSD on the continent on October 30th in all AU
Member States.