STATEMENT BY
MR. SYED ABDUL BARI SYED OTHMAN
DELEGATE
PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE 77TH UNGA
ON AGENDA ITEM 22: ERADICATION OF POVERTY; AND
AGENDA ITEM 24: AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT,
FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION
12 OCTOBER 2022
Madam Chair,
Malaysia aligns itself with the statements delivered by Pakistan on behalf of the G77 and China, and Vietnam on behalf of ASEAN, respectively.
Madam Chair,
2. In June this year, the Secretary General had warned us of the unprecedented global food crisis. Indeed, food insecurity was one of the main concerns highlighted by many leaders at the recently-concluded High Level Week. According to the World Food Programme, the number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared from 135 million to 345 million people since 2019.
3. Efforts of the Global Crisis Response Group and the UN-led Black Sea Grain Initiative have released some of the pressure but disruption risks still linger. Malaysia is supportive of collective efforts to promote a more sustainable and resilient global food system. Malaysia believes better production, free and fair trade as well as innovation would contribute positively towards preventing and mitigating the impacts of future crisis.
4. At the national level, Malaysia is committed to achieving SDG2 in ensuring zero hunger in the country. The Malaysian Government has implemented initiatives to promote a better and healthier lifestyle through a multi-sectoral nutrition framework. The National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030 was launched among others to enhance the local agrofood industry with a view to complement socio-economic growth, inclusiveness and resilience. Emphasis is also given to smallholder farmers and food producers, as they account for about 75% of our agrofood industry players.
5. The Malaysian Government also launched the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 to complement other national development policies and strategies to reinforce national food security. The Plan includes application of precision farming to increase productivity and overcome the impact of climate change as well as identifying emerging markets to source for affordable and quality agriculture inputs such as animal feeds, fertilisers and seeds, among others.
Madam Chair,
6. The current projection of people living under extreme poverty has shot up to 676 million from 581 million people during the pre-pandemic period. In addition, the SDG Report 2022 stated that the world is not on track to end poverty by 2030, with vulnerable countries now needing unprecedented levels of economic growth. Clearly, we have to do more to realise SDG1. This requires enhanced partnership at the global level.
7. Development assistance in the forms of capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and transfer of technology are integral for vulnerable countries to emancipate from poverty. In this respect, Malaysia calls on all development partners to intensify their efforts through multilateral cooperation such as the South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
8. In our experience, investing in public health, education and rural development continue to be fundamental strategies towards eradicating poverty. In the short term, vulnerable countries, particularly would require urgent assistance to improve the socioeconomic well-being of the people due to the effect of the global multiple crises.
9. At the national level, the Malaysian Government had approved an allocation of USD 215 million (RM 1 billion) to accelerate poverty eradication programmes in the country in 2023. The programmes among others aim to elevate the income of more than 50,000 extreme poor households whereby recipients will be provided with appropriate training, start-up capital and incentives for agriculture, marketing and digitalisation projects.
Madam Chair,
10. Malaysia holds the view that SDG1 and SDG2 are closely linked together and equally important in advancing our progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. In this regard, Malaysia looks forward to intensifying collaboration with all stakeholders in eradicating poverty and enhancing the resilience of our global food systems.
I thank you.