Monday’s opening of the 66th United Nations General Assembly will feature two high-level meetings on issues that will affect international cooperation on food security and development issues. The first, taking place on September 19th and 20th, will address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which include cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, conditions which can develop or worsen depending on people’s diets. The second, taking place on September 20th, will meet to discuss the status of previous agreements on desertification, land degradation and drought, which has particular interest due to the drought in the Horn of Africa.
According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the High Level meeting on NCD’s aims to “…broker an international commitment that puts non-communicable diseases high on the development agenda, where they belong.” UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter warned world leaders to use the meeting to create a “lasting commitment” to tackling these diseases and not “…bow to industry pressure” from food producers who are against any new rules.
“If we are serious about tackling the rise of cancer and heart disease, we need to make ambitious, binding commitments to tackle one of the root causes – the food that we eat. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2004 Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health must be translated into concrete action: it is unacceptable that when lives are at stake, we go no further than soft, promotional measures that ultimately rely on consumer choice, without addressing the supply side of the food chain.”
The High Level meeting on desertification is intended for parties to the 2003 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa to
Do you think any progress can be made on these issues at the United Nations? Stay tuned to the meetings and add your comments during the week.
Photo credit:UPI
