Combating hunger: Monaco takes part in the Committee on World Food Security and pursues its cooperation with the World Food Programme

53ème Comité de la Sécurité alimentaire mondiale 1 ©DR

From 20 to 24 October 2025, a Monegasque delegation led by H.E. Ms Anne Eastwood, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Monaco to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), took part in the 53rd session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), held in Rome.

The session featured a presentation of the global food situation, which painted a particularly alarming picture: one third of the world’s population facing food insecurity, a resurgence of malnutrition affecting 511 million people—particularly in Africa—and two famines officially declared, in Gaza and in Sudan.

Ms Émilie Silvestre, Programme Officer at the Department of International Cooperation, took the floor to reiterate the Principality’s commitment to ending hunger (Sustainable Development Goal 2), recalling that Monaco allocates one quarter of its official development assistance each year to food security in Least Developed Countries and fragile States. This priority will be further strengthened in the coming years, in line with Monaco’s strategic cooperation plan. New programmes will be implemented to support sustainable and inclusive agricultural production, strengthen community resilience, and prevent malnutrition, particularly through school meal initiatives.

In light of the dire humanitarian situation in several conflict zones, the Principality strongly called for respect for international law, underscoring the imperative not to use starvation as a method of warfare and to ensure that humanitarian assistance can reach all those in need without hindrance.

The Monegasque delegation also commended the quality of the reports produced by the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN), whose work Monaco has supported since 2018. Ms Christelle Revel, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Monaco in Rome, recalled the key role played by the Panel in guiding the work of the CFS and encouraged the FAO to continue strengthening its support for its activities.

53ème Comité de la Sécurité alimentaire mondiale 2 ©DR

On the sidelines of the session, the delegation held discussions with the World Food Programme (WFP), Monaco’s leading partner in development cooperation, to exchange views on the country’s multilateral cooperation strategy. The exemplary nature of this long-standing partnership—currently comprising seven operations across the African continent (Burundi, Lesotho, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania)—was highlighted in the context of the WFP’s current operational challenges.

Five years ahead of the 2030 Agenda deadline, global food insecurity continues to worsen due to the combined impact of conflicts, climate change and economic shocks, while international public assistance is in decline. In this context, the WFP and all CFS stakeholders committed to SDG 2 are now calling on the private sector to play its full part in the fight against hunger.

53ème Comité de la Sécurité alimentaire mondiale 3 ©DR