SELA and CELAC strengthen cooperation to overcome food vulnerability in the region

The Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held on Tuesday the Seminar “Advances in disaster risk management: Vulnerability of food security and development of a regional protocol,” with the participation of various personalities of the region and representatives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the World Organization for Animal Health for the Americas (WOAH); the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), who discussed the threats to the agricultural sector and their impact on the supply of the agrifood chain.

The Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Clarems Endara, stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation with CELAC in order to urgently address the food situation in the region by contributing to the improvement of Social Development indicators. “We require broad cooperation between the competent bodies or those whose mandates have been determined by their member countries, so that this diagnosis can be carried out with accurate data to identify needs and make cooperation more efficient, ensuring the implementation of stable and sustainable programmes,” he said.

According to the World Bank, at the end of June 2022, the agricultural price index was 34% higher than a year ago. The situation is similar for maize and wheat prices, which are 47% and 42% higher, respectively, than in January 2021, and rice prices were 8% lower.

In the international context, global commodity markets are exposed to price fluctuations as a result of reduced grain supplies, rising energy prices, increased fertiliser prices and the closure of major ports, which has raised the alarm and called attention to the food vulnerability faced by countries around the world.

“Addressing food security and its production systems in a comprehensive manner allows us to contribute and, in the best scenario, to counteract the effects of climate and anthropic origin that have affected food production and consumption,” concluded the Permanent Secretary of SELA.

For his part, the Undersecretary for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs and National Coordination of the Argentine Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC, Ambassador Gustavo Martínez Pandiani, highlighted the joint work with SELA to “multiply efforts and boost resources in the region.”

He underscored that food and energy security and risk management, which were addressed in this Tuesday's Seminar, are among the central challenges that are expected to be faced within the framework of CELAC.

Ambassador Gustavo Martínez Pandiani stressed that CELAC faces the challenge of achieving more results for the benefit of our peoples, for which the organisation sees SELA as “a natural partner to build, strengthen and consolidate the scaffolding of regional integration.”

Likewise, Mario Lubetkin, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), during his participation, said that more than 130 million people in the world cannot afford a healthy diet, while at least 50 million people in the region are affected by hunger.

He stressed that Latin America and the Caribbean is a fundamental pillar to ensure global food security, so “I welcome the efforts of SELA and CELAC and you can count on FAO to build the solutions we all need,” he added.

Luis Barcos, Regional Representative of the World Organisation for Animal Health for the Americas (WOAH), stressed the importance of making progress on issues related to animal health “of enormous importance” also within the framework of food security, and offered his full support to collaborate closely in this aspect, together with SELA and CELAC.

In addition, Rodolfo Fernández, representative in charge of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), stressed the importance of international cooperation and financing to address the risks and threats of food insecurity in the region.

David Prendergast, Director of Sectoral Programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat, insisted that the consequences of climate change affect food security, especially in the Caribbean, where the hurricane season has a particular impact on agricultural production. In this regard, “sustainable production remains part of our priority,” he said.

The Seminar “Advances in disaster risk management: Vulnerability of food security and development of a regional protocol” is part of a joint SELA-CELAC work agenda, through which progress is made to promote the development of coordinated and articulated strategies for Latin America and the Caribbean and contribute to the development and strengthening of resilience of food systems in the region.