G7 summit unveils new global food security initiative for equal access to nutrition

18 Jun 2024 --- The Group of Seven (G7) reinforced its commitment to food security around the world and to the enhancement of climate resilience at the G7 Summit in Italy, where the political and economic grouping introduced its new Apulia Food Systems Initiative (AFSI).

The G7, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the EU as a “non-enumerated member,” is launching AFSI to “overcome structural barriers to food security and nutrition and to build resilient sustainable and productive agriculture and food systems, and to ensure that all people can progressively realize the right to adequate food,” states the leaders’ communique.

AFSI also sets out to improve the sustainability and productivity of local, regional and global supply chains, while “addressing discriminatory rules and norms” relating to gender equality. It will leverage multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance programs on the ground.

“We have already exceeded our joint commitment of US$14 billion to global food security, announced in Elmau in 2022. We remain steadfast in addressing the escalating global food security and nutrition crisis, aggravated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” reads the G7 statement.

Supporting policies and investments
G7’s AFSI aims to contribute to ongoing global efforts to alleviate food insecurity by supporting three multi-stakeholder programs: the Technical Cooperation Collaborative to implement the “COP28 UAE Declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and climate action,” the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soil, as well as a G7 private-public initiative on coffee.

AFSI aims to improve the food supply chains, while addressing discriminatory rules and norms relating to gender.The COP28 UAE Declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and climate action is being implemented by the Technical Cooperation Collaborative, including the FAO, World Bank and other international organizations. In collaboration, the AFSI sets out to build technical cooperation for the integration of food systems and climate plans in low-income and climate vulnerable countries.

The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils, by the US Office of Global Food Security, works on the restoration and maintenance of healthy soils. It targets the development and climate resilience of traditional and indigenous crops in Africa.

The third program, which is a private-public initiative by the G7, concerns coffee. Its aim is to advance policy, sustained investments, research and innovation, partnerships, blended finance to boost the resilience, environmental sustainability, value addition and circularity of the coffee value chains worldwide.

At the same time, it will provide support to small businesses and family farmers in the countries of origin and it will examine the feasibility of a global private-public fund on coffee.

Tackling childhood malnutrition
Another outlined aim of AFSI is to address the issue of childhood malnutrition by facilitating multi-stakeholder engagement and innovation with multilaterals, the private sector and philanthropies, as the 2025 Paris Nutrition for Growth Summit approaches.

The G7 communiqué highlights that “childhood stunting and wasting caused by malnutrition can have lifelong physical, psychological and social effects that threaten sustainable development.” For this reason the leaders of these top economic and political powerhouses commit to support treatment and prevention to address this challenge.

“We will also promote innovative solutions to increase the quantity and quality of public and private funding for food security and food systems in low-income countries.” The G7 makes three further commitments in this regard.

The group pledges to work together to improve the current fiscal space for food security alongside efforts to better the international financial architecture, which includes the potential of debt swaps.

Secondly, the countries commit to expanding existing cooperation alongside the G7 public development banks to improve co-investment and risk-mitigation for sustainable agriculture and food systems transformation.

Lastly, the G7 supports the development of Financing for Shock-Driven Food Crisis Facilities, which should allow for rapid-response financing in the cases of “severe food crises,” using private capital from global insurance markets.

By Milana Nikolova

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