Phillippe Thomas POLICY SEMINAR Virtual Event - Information Needs for Food Crisis Risk Early Warning: The Role of the Food Security Portal Co-Organized by IFPRI and the Food Security Portal (FSP) NOV 24, 2020 - 09:30 AM TO 11:00 AM EST

1. WHY THE EU SUPPORTS THE
FOOD SECURITY PORTAL
Improving knowledge
within the Global Network against Food Crises
Philippe THOMAS
EU / European Commission
DG DEVCO
24 November 2020

2. 2
Global Food and Nutrition Crises
figures and trends
Past- End 2019
• Dire food security situation
• 135 M people in IPC 3+
• 183M people in IPC 2, on the verge
of food crises
Short-medium-term
perspective
• Negative impact of COVID-
19 on food crises (+35-
40%)
• Increasing conflicts, IDPs,
refugees
• Increasing trends and
impacts of shocks
(climatic, economic)
Longer term
perspective (2030-
2050 and beyond)
• If global trends
(Demography, Climate
change, Natural Resource
Degradation, Loss of
Biodiversity) are not
reversed food and nutrition
insecurity can only
progressively deteriorate in
the future – Major food
crises ahead
Number of people
in food crises
Time

3. Foresights: worsening trends
Food systems at risk…
3
a third more people in food crisis
(Update Sep.2020 in 11 hotspots)
Number of
undernourished
people should exceed
840 million by 2030.
(State of Food Security and
Nutrition in the World –SOFI –
2020)

4. Resources scarcity
Source: Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
Evolution of land use
4

5. Environmental
and Climate
Sustainability
Social
sustainability
EU
GREEN DEAL
Challenges
Expected
Outcomes
Long-term
stability
Healthy
Planet
Healthy
people
Economic
sustainability
BIODIVERSITY
& FORESTRY
AGRIFOOD
SYSTEMS
Demography
Climate
change
Pollution
Inequality
Natural
resources
degradation
Loss of
biodiversity
ENERGY
Limiting
factors
Resources for a
transitional
agenda
Common/
multilateral
vision
Competition
vs
collaboration
Sustainable socio-
economic systems
Respect of planet
boundaries

6. Fight
against
foodcrises
Food-Energy-
waternexus
Nutritions/
diverse
food
Natural
Resources
management
Mantainance
ofagro-
Biodiversity
Environmentand
climaterelevant
solutions
Inclusive
valuechains
andjob
creation
Reducing
lossesand
waste
Environmental
and Climate
Sustainability
Social
sustainability
Economic
sustainability
Sustainable Agri-
Food System
Challenges for
Agri-Food Syst.
Production/
productivity
under treath
Vulnerability
to shocks and
stresssors
Widespread
Unhealthy
diets
Depleted
productive
resources
Contribution to
GHG emission
Output
Decrease
of stunting Zero
Hunger
Decrease
malnutrition
Sustainability
Resilience
Inclusiveness
Contribution to
decent
employment
Environmental
and Climate
Sustainability
Food and Nutrition
Inclusive value chains
Sustainable management
of natural resources

7.  Global Network  3x3
Principles of the EU approach
in the spirit of the Global Network against Food Crises
7

8. 3 : three interlinked dimensions:
1. Data and Analysis - Understanding
food crises
2. Strategic Investment in food and
nutrition security
3. Beyond food – To account for shocks and
stresses not pertaining to the food system.
Fostering political uptake and functional
coordination across sectors to address other
dimensions of crisis scenarios
The “3x3” approach: three dimensions and three levels
8
3 : geographical levels of
engagement (based on the principle of subsidiarity
3 interlinked and synergistic levels):
1. National – country owned, within
national boundaries
2. Global level
3. Regional/multi-country : to account for
cross-boundary dynamics and complex
cause-effect relations that cannot be
tackled at national level
X

9. CONCLUSION
 Need to address growing humanitarian needs by implementing
the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.
 Need to tackle the complex and interlinked root causes of food
crises / food insecurity : Agri-food systems approach (UN
World Food System Summit 2021)
 “Knowledge is never enough”: Global Public Good
 Complementarity and not competition between the different
systems within the Global Network against food crises (cf.
Food Security Information Network producing the Global
Report on Food Crises, or the Early Warning Systems, the
Real time data, etc.).
 THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK TO THE FSP.