Joint Statement by QU Dongyu, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Roberto Azevedo, Directors-General of FAO, WHO and WTO
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, QU Dongyu and Roberto Azevedo, Directors-General of WHO, FAO and WTO.
31/03/2020 Rome/Geneva
Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their
food security and livelihoods. As countries move to enact measures aiming to
halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimise
potential impacts on the food supply or unintended consequences on global trade
and food security.
When acting to protect the health and
well-being of their citizens, countries should ensure that any trade-related
measures do not disrupt the food supply chain. Such disruptions including
hampering the movement of agricultural and food industry workers and extending
border delays for food containers, result in the spoilage of perishables and
increasing food waste. Food trade restrictions could also be linked to
unjustified concerns on food safety. If such a scenario were to materialize, it
would disrupt the food supply chain, with particularly pronounced consequences
for the most vulnerable and food insecure populations.
Uncertainty about food availability can
spark a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on the global market.
Such reactions can alter the balance between food supply and demand, resulting
in price spikes and increased price volatility. We learned from previous crises
that such measures are particularly damaging for low-income, food-deficit
countries and to the efforts of humanitarian organizations to procure food for
those in desperate need.
We must prevent the repeat of such damaging
measures. It is at times like this that more, not less, international
cooperation becomes vital. In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, every effort
must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, specially to
avoid food shortage. Similarly, it is also critical that food producers and
food workers at processing and retail level are protected to minimise the
spread of the disease within this sector and maintain food supply chains.
Consumers, in particular the most vulnerable, must continue to be able to access
food within their communities under strict safety requirements.
We must also ensure that information on
food-related trade measures, levels of food production, consumption and stocks,
as well as on food prices, is available to all in real time. This reduces
uncertainty and allows producers, consumers and traders to make informed
decisions. Above all, it helps contain ‘panic buying' and the hoarding of food
and other essential items.
Now is the time to show solidarity, act
responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food
safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the
world. We must ensure that our response
to COVID-19 does not unintentionally create unwarranted shortages of essential
items and exacerbate hunger and malnutrition.
