Impakter
  • News
    • Culture
      • Art
      • Cinema
      • Entertainment
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Photography
    • Style
      • Architecture
      • Design
      • Fashion
      • Foodscape
      • Lifestyle
    • Society
      • Business
      • Foreign Affairs & Politics
      • Health
      • Tech
      • Science
      • Start-up
    • Impact
      • Eco Life
      • Circular Economy
      • COP26
      • CityLife
        • Copenhagen
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle
        • Sydney
      • Sustainability Series
        • SDGs Series
        • Shape Your Future
        • 2030: Dream or Reality
      • Philanthropy
        • United Nations
        • NGO & Charities
        • Essays
  • Environment
  • Sustainability Index
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
      • Global Leaders
      • Contributors
      • Write for Impakter
        • Republishing Content
        • Permissions and Copyright
        • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Culture
      • Art
      • Cinema
      • Entertainment
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Photography
    • Style
      • Architecture
      • Design
      • Fashion
      • Foodscape
      • Lifestyle
    • Society
      • Business
      • Foreign Affairs & Politics
      • Health
      • Tech
      • Science
      • Start-up
    • Impact
      • Eco Life
      • Circular Economy
      • COP26
      • CityLife
        • Copenhagen
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle
        • Sydney
      • Sustainability Series
        • SDGs Series
        • Shape Your Future
        • 2030: Dream or Reality
      • Philanthropy
        • United Nations
        • NGO & Charities
        • Essays
  • Environment
  • Sustainability Index
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
      • Global Leaders
      • Contributors
      • Write for Impakter
        • Republishing Content
        • Permissions and Copyright
        • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Impakter
No Result
View All Result
Home SDG Series 2030: Dream or Reality

How Can We Outpace COVID-19? An Agile Response Starts With Flexible Funding.

byKazuki Kitaoka - Head of the Outreach, Marketing and Reporting Unit at FAO
May 20, 2020
in 2030: Dream or Reality, SDG Series
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SERIES TITLE: Pipe dream or achievable vision: How can we deliver on the 2030 Agenda? The 2030 Agenda foresees a bright future for humanity, one in which everyone enjoys peace and prosperity on a bountiful planet. But, with nationalism, populism and protectionism on the rise, how can we deliver on this utopian vision? This series of articles looks at what the international development system needs to do to deliver on this incredibly complex task – from rebuilding trust in multilateralism to bringing in the trillions of dollars needed each year to finance change. The first article of the series can be found here.


What started as an outbreak of a new coronavirus at the end of 2019, has now become a global pandemic with over two million confirmed cases as of mid-April 2020. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization at the end of January 2020 and in less than two months it evolved into a pandemic.

This disease has shown the world that it does not respect borders, reaching all continents and unleashing a devastating impact that goes beyond health, touching on economies, livelihoods, food security, education and social structures.

The rapid spread of COVID–19, has forced a sudden shift in how billions of people go about their daily lives, from schools and universities being closed in several countries, to doctors undertaking non-emergency medical consultations online. This disease has shown the world that it does not respect borders, reaching all continents and unleashing a devastating impact that goes beyond health, touching on economies, livelihoods, food security, education and social structures. As the Chief Economist of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Maximo Torero affirmed, “It is precisely because the coronavirus doesn’t respect borders that global cooperation is the only shot at defeating it”.

A Disease That Does Not Respect Borders

Cases from the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) are present in most countries, however some have been hit harder than others. In certain areas, the impacts of the virus have also been compounded by limitations of economic, public health and social protection systems. 135 million people worldwide were already struggling with severe food insecurity. Now, more than ever, these people need support to defend themselves against the virus.

A farmer in a rice field.
In the Photo: A farmer learning to use a rotating hoe for weed control in a Farmer Field School rice paddy. Photo Credit: ©FAO / Olivier Asselin

Recent pandemic impact assessments made by the FAO foresee a contraction in both the supply of and demand for agricultural products, as well as predict disruptions in the food supply chain. This could put lives and livelihoods even further at risk. Poor countries risk being more heavily hit by price increases because their populations will simply not be able to afford food. The supply and demand balance of the global food chain has already been affected in some countries, for example, with Russia, India and Argentina limiting exports of grains, Egypt intensifying the imports of grain and Canada limiting imports of onions and eggplants. Other countries have started to experience the negative impacts of inflation in the past month, such as wheat and rice prices increasing from 8% and 25% respectively, compared to March 2019.

Japanese street food market
In the Photo: Japanese street food market. Photo Credit: Jérémy Stenuit

Time for a Unified, Global Response

While it is true that already vulnerable populations are at greater risk of suffering from the negative impacts of COVID-19, all countries depend on the global food supply chain, hence even a minor disruption will be perceived to some extent in all the corners of the world. In fact, all around the world, many people are being put at risk of a food security crisis due to the pandemic and the clear first signs of an economic recession. Several countries, especially in the Global South, are starting to witness how inequalities within their populations determine the harm that such outbreaks have, with workers having to choose between their lives and their livelihoods by risking being infected in their daily commutes to work rather than staying home and stop earning their daily living. Because this fast-spreading virus is indifferent to borders and nationalities, our response must be unified. We need to join forces for swift, powerful and coordinated action.

COVID Partnerships
In the Photo: COVID Partnerships. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Fast-Changing Threats Call for Dynamic Solutions

Today’s interconnected world enabled by global technology, transport and trade, exponentiates the speed and impact of threats that are constantly evolving. Meanwhile, aid and development funding has been disjointed and dominated by earmarked contributions, which only finance specific purposes or projects. Earmarked funding of total United Nations Development system resources increased from 56% to 75% between 1998 and 2013, however, this approach delays responses to emergencies, creates fragmented solutions and makes it harder to keep up with ever-evolving threats. A more flexible, holistic approach is needed so that efforts can be directed when and where they will have the most impact.

Joining the flexible funding umbrella programme of FAO will actively strengthen donor countries’ capacities for results-driven action on the ground, and can make local, regional and global food systems more resilient to fast-changing challenges such as the novel Coronavirus.


Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com — Featured Photo Credit: ©FAO

Tags: COVID-19FAOFlexible Funding
Previous Post

MIWA’s Circular Economy: Reusable Food Packaging

Next Post

Don’t Blame Bats for COVID-19. Blame Humans

Kazuki Kitaoka - Head of the Outreach, Marketing and Reporting Unit at FAO

Kazuki Kitaoka - Head of the Outreach, Marketing and Reporting Unit at FAO

Kazuki Kitaoka is Head of the Outreach, Marketing and Reporting Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Prior to joining FAO, he led for several years the Strategic Planning and Coordination Unit at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and managed various global consultations and outreach activities, including those of the UN Development Group on "Engagement with the Private Sector" as part of the multi-stakeholder dialogue towards the establishment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He joined the UN system in 2003 for the implementation of private sector development, industrial technology, and corporate responsibility programmes in various countries, including China, Indonesia, Nigeria and the United Republic of Tanzania. In his subsequent roles as strategic planner, programme manager and chief of donor relations, he worked on organizational policies and publications related to sustainability, growth, poverty reduction, gender equality, development effectiveness, the changing role of middle-income countries in globalization, and the global development and aid architecture.

Related Posts

A Woman in Bangladesh participating in a poverty reduction pgorgram
SDG Series

Reducing Poverty: What Really Works

November 2, 2022
Global Goals at Home: Bringing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Down to Earth
Politics & Foreign Affairs

Global Goals at Home: Bringing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Down to Earth

September 23, 2022
Wildfire Smoke Is Choking Indigenous Communities
Climate Change

Wildfire Smoke Is Choking Indigenous Communities

August 29, 2022
Next Post
Don’t Blame Bats for COVID-19. Blame Humans

Don’t Blame Bats for COVID-19. Blame Humans

Recent News

Are Electric Cars A Cure-All for Sustainable Mobility, Or Just One Part of A Larger Puzzle?

Are Electric Cars A Cure-All for Sustainable Mobility, Or Just One Part of A Larger Puzzle?

February 8, 2023
By Buying Your Smartphone Refurbished Rather Than New, You Can Save Over 77kg of CO2

By Buying Your Smartphone Refurbished Rather Than New, You Can Save Over 77kg of CO2

February 8, 2023
Our World Is Changing Ever Faster: What This Means For Our Survival

Our World Is Changing Ever Faster: What This Means For Our Survival

February 8, 2023
impakter-logo-light

Impakter informs you through the eco news site and empowers your sustainable lifestyle with its eco products marketplace.

Visit here IMPAKTER ECO for your eco products needs.

Registered Office Address

32 Lots Road, London
SW10 0QJ, United Kingdom


IMPAKTER Limited

Company number: 10806931

Impakter is a publication that is identified by the following International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is the following 2515-9569 (Printed) and 2515-9577 (online – Website).


Office Hours - Monday to Friday

9.30am - 5.00pm CEST


Email

stories [at] impakter.com

About Us

  • Team
  • Contributors
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partners

By Audience

  • Lifestyle
  • Green Finance
  • Culture
  • Society
  • Style
  • Impact

Impakter Platforms

  • Media
  • Index

© 2023 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • ECO Products Shop – Try now!
  • Culture
  • Style
  • Society
  • Impact
  • Sustainability Index
  • About
    • Partners
    • Team
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

© 2023 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

Impakter.com uses cookies to enhance your experience when visiting the website and to serve you with advertisements that might interest you. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.