Policies, Institutions, and Global Initiatives

With the world facing continued population growth and the specter of climate change, food prices and food security are issues of growing global importance. The 2007-2008 and 2010-2011 food price crises have had lasting impacts on the face of the global food security environment; since 2001, food price volatility has been at its highest level in 50 years, and the uncertainty caused by this volatility is particularly detrimental for the world’s poor.

Increasing global agricultural productivity faces many challenges, including a growing global population, increasing incomes (and thus increased demand for more labor- and resource-intensive foods such as meat and dairy), and climate change. Finding ways to sustainably increase agricultural production, particularly in developing countries, is crucial for food security.

The seventh joint report of the UNCTAD-OECD on G20 countries' investment policies was released on May 29. This report is released every seven months and looks at recent policy measures taken by G20 countries to determine possible impacts they may have on the global investment and economic situation. The report was called for during the 2011 Cannes Summit as part of the G20 leaders' commitment to reduce protectionist policies.

The importance of global food security is being reinforced in various global venues, from the G8 summit last week to the upcoming Rio+20 conference . The upcoming G20 meetings in Mexico will also bring increased attention to the challenge of food security, addressing ways to increase food production and agricultural productivity on a sustainable basis to promote food security and foster economic growth worldwide.

The global economic environment has been characterized in recent years by high debt levels, financial volatility, high levels of risk, and a persistent development gap. With the world still reeling from the recent economic downturn, achieving sustainable economic growth remains a formidable challenge for developing countries. Worldwide economic growth in 2012 is expected to remain moderate, with weak growth in most developed countries and slowing growth in the developing world.