The Rio+20 Conference last week witnessed the launch of the "Zero Hunger Challenge," an initiative calling for resilient global food systems and adequate nutrition for every individual. The Challenge encompasses five goals:
- Achieving 100 percent access to adequate nutrition for every individual year-round.
- Ending malnutrition during pregnancy and early childhood.
- Making all food systems sustainable.
- Increasing the productivity and income growth of smallholder farmers, particularly women.
- Achieving zero percent food waste.
To accomplish these goals, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s High Level Task Force on Global Food Security will be reoriented around the Zero Hunger Challenge. The Challenge's five aims will guide the Task Force in its creation of a coherent system approach to global food and nutrition security. The Task Force is chaired by the Secretary-General and brings together the heads of the UN agencies, funds and programmes, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The aim of the Task Force is to ensure that the UN system, international financial institutions and the WTO have the ability to provide timely, consistent, and effective support to countries struggling to cope with food insecurity.