GAIN provided technical support for the progress review process on Pakistan’s food system transformation in collaboration with FAO, WFP, and IFAD.
The Ministry of National Food Security & Research held a National Consultation for a “Progress Review on ‘Pakistan National Food System Transformation Pathway'” with the theme “Aligning National Practices and Policies for Transforming Pakistan Food Systems” in order to support the government of Pakistan’s initiatives to increase access to nutrient-dense food and adhere to global targets established for 2030.
As a result of the Pakistani government’s strong political ownership of the upcoming “United Nations Food System Summit+2 – Stock Taking Moment-2023,” the event was held.
Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) opened the event, and Mr. Zaffar Hasan, Federal Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, Mr. Ejaz Ahmed Bajwa, Joint Secretary (M/o NFS&R), and Capt. (Retd) Muhammad Asif, Additional Secretary (M/o NFS&R), concluded it.
The technical discussion was led by Mr. Faiz Rasool, Senior Policy Advisor at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and Dr. Ghulam Sadiq Afridi, Member Social Sciences Division PARC (TWG Secretary), who also shared the progress made by the Pakistani government.
GAIN provided technical support for the progress review process on Pakistan’s food system transformation in collaboration with FAO, WFP, and IFAD.
Provincial leadership highlighted the overall development made, the difficulties encountered (particularly the effects of climate change), stakeholder involvement, and the strategic funding committed to transforming the food systems in Pakistan.
Technical insights were provided by national leaders from FAO, IFAD, WFP, and GAIN. A wide range of participants from the federal, provincial, and development sectors, including senior officials Secretary Food Mr. Zaman Wattoo and Secretary Agriculture (AJK) Mr. Javed Ayub and Director Generals from provincial food, agriculture, and livestock, CSOs, and Consumer Association Network, were also present at the event.
Members of the country leadership teams for each of the five UNFSS Action Tracks emphasised the significance of each Action Track and its contribution to the transformation of food systems.
One in five deaths are attributed to poor diets. Environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable water use, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, etc. are also impacted by food.
According to the “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020” report, approximately three billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet. A change in the current food systems is necessary to address all the challenges.