Toespraak High Level Consultation on Hunger, Food Security and Nutrition

Toespraak | 04-04-2013

All of us in this room are convinced that food and nutrition security must be a priority in our post-2015 Development Agenda. For my government food and nutrition security is a top priority. And from my governments perspective three issues should be central to our agenda.

First, food and nutrition insecurity is essentially a problem of poverty. This was recognized in MDG 1, which took combatting poverty and hunger as two sides of the same coin. A strategy to counter hunger and malnutrition needs to be based on the creation of inclusive economic growth. Investing in agriculture is the most effective way of reducing poverty and hunger. Strengthening the enabling environment for agriculture will be key to support such investments. And as others have said, we have to strengthen the position of women.

The second main element of our approach is a strong emphasis on the role of the private sector. Private sector development is an essential part of our efforts to develop local entrepreneurship. Partnerships between the private sector, research institutions, civil society and governments will be crucial to sustainably nourish 9 billion people in 2050.

In Vietnam and Indonesia, Dutch companies are working with local farmers and companies to make the value chain for dairy safer, more productive and more profitable. And in East-Africa, Dutch horticultural companies are working with local partners to improve the use of high-quality vegetable seeds, resulting in higher yields, more revenue, and better nutritional outcomes for the broader community.

These examples show that by making sustainable agriculture and food production a viable business opportunity, we can increase food and nutrition security and create economic growth. But this only works if companies adhere to their corporate social responsibility. We have to ensure that investments in agriculture are socially fair and environmentally sound.

The final element I want to highlight today is our focus on doubling productivity while halving the use of inputs and increasing the capacities of farmers to cope with external shocks. That is the reason why we have been so active in putting climate smart agriculture firmly on the international agenda. Implementing climate smart agriculture should be a cornerstone of sustainable development and ending hunger and malnutrition.

And what we do for production on land, we should replicate for our oceans. Healthy oceans are essential for global food security, livelihoods and economic growth. That is why the Netherlands will host a Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth in September. This Summit will focus on raising action and investment to turn around challenges like pollution, habitat loss and crashing fish stocks – all of which are being compounded by climate change.

Chairman, you have asked for political commitment. And that is what I have come to Madrid for. To express the commitment of the Netherlands to end hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity. As soon as we can. We have already seen many powerful pledges to that end, but we need more than pledges. We need action. We need commitment to prioritise food security. And we need impact on the ground. The Netherlands, ladies and gentlemen, is fully comitted to that! But governments can't do it alone. We need commitment of civil society, knowledge institutions and private sector as well.

Today makes me optimistic, but more work is needed to achieve "the world we want". Let's set an ambitious goal and not rest before the job is done!