Rio+20: Will Brazil be a Hunger Hero and Rescue Rio+20 Summit?

Will Brazil be a Hunger Hero and Rescue Rio+20 Summit?
ActionAid Identifies the Ingredients to a Successful Summit

Rio de Janeiro – Today, Brazil assumes the role as host of the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20), and with it the responsibility to ensure that the negotiations are concluded successfully.  Brazil takes leadership at a critical moment, when agreement on issues around food security have all but stalled. With only three days of negotiations left before the heads of state arrive, the question is if Brazil can move countries to agreement on food and agriculture issues that will protect the right to food.

 "The success of the Rio+20 process will be judged by the ability of governments to agree to action on three building blocks of truly sustainable development ," said Ms. Kirsten Hjørnholm Sørensen, policy advisor, ActionAid Denmark, "In a world with growing demand for food, we need investment in the women smallholder farmers that are feeding the majority of the world, we need climate resilient and sustainable agricultural models that can help adapt to a changing climate without drawing on finite energy resources and we must move away from food based fuels that exacerbate the problem."

"The right to food for all must be recognized in this process, and commitments to invest in the women small holder farmers who are currently feeding the majority of the world are paramount," said Roberto Sensi, Food Policy Officer of ActionAid Italy, "Agriculture is not about serving special interests but about providing a sustainable, solid system that provides the means to make a living for millions of people. It is time to make small holder and women farmers the key solution in enabling communities to grow their way out of food and hunger."

 "Finally, we must ensure that increasing renewable energy does not contribute to the agricultural challenge by being filled by unsustainable biofuels," said Mr. Roberto Sensi. "While a strong commitment to fight climate change and change fossil fuel consumption is vital in order to ensure food production in the future, first generation biofuel production places unsustainable pressure on land and agriculture in developing countries."

"Brazil is in the perfect position to broker a deal to end hunger," said Ms. Sørensen, "Brazil has shown the world that you can fight poverty and hunger through programs and public policies for social protection. Now is the time for Brazil to internationalize this experience."

"The 26 million Brazilians who have risen out of extreme poverty demonstrates the impact of Brazil's choice to put the right to food high on the national agenda, and President Dilma can do the same in the Rio+20 talks," said Ms. Hugueney, "Given that Brazil faces major challenges in relationship to sustainable development, safeguarding forests and the use of pesticides in agriculture, leadership at Rio+20 offers an opportunity for Brazil to demonstrate its commitment to end hunger."