UN Launches Cairo Declaration to Address Hunger in Arab Region

Palestinian children wait for food at a distribution center in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian children wait for food at a distribution center in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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UN Launches Cairo Declaration to Address Hunger in Arab Region

Palestinian children wait for food at a distribution center in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian children wait for food at a distribution center in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Rising conflicts, inflation, and climate change have worsened the food crisis in the Arab region, reaching record levels in 2023, according to six UN agencies.

The crisis now affects over 14% of the population, with early signs showing an even greater escalation this year.

To address this, the six UN agencies issued the “Cairo Declaration on Financing Agrifood Systems Transformation in the Near East and North Africa Region” on Wednesday.

The six UN agencies reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with development banks, the private sector, and national governments to boost financial resources for transforming food and agricultural systems in the Arab region, aiming to improve food security and nutrition.

These agencies—FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, and ESCWA—also proposed creating cooperative funding platforms, led by governments and developed with partners, to help meet the second Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger.

The “Cairo Declaration” was issued alongside a joint report titled the 2024 NENA Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition. The report warned that the Arab region is still far from reaching its food security and nutrition targets for 2030.

In 2023, 66.1 million people—14% of the Arab population—were affected by hunger. The report showed that around 186.5 million people (39.4% of the population) faced food insecurity, with 72.7 million suffering from severe food insecurity.

Conflicts remain the main cause of food insecurity and malnutrition in the region, compounded by economic challenges, income inequality, and extreme weather events.

Food prices have worsened the crisis, with malnutrition rates in conflict-affected countries jumping to 26.4% in 2023—four times higher than the 6.6% in stable countries. Ongoing conflicts and droughts are expected to further degrade food security and nutrition.

FAO’s Assistant Director-General and NENA Regional Representative Abdulhakim Elwaer emphasized the need for improved public resource use and additional funding to positively impact food systems in Arab countries.

The agencies stress that the report’s findings will drive efforts to create more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems in the region, benefiting both people and the planet.

Over a third of the Arab population struggles to afford healthy food, with 151.3 million people unable to cover basic nutritional needs. This issue is especially severe in conflict zones, where 41.2% of people can't afford a healthy diet.



Xi Says China Must Apply 'More Proactive' Macroeconomic Policies in 2025

This picture taken on December 16, 2024 shows a vendor arranging items as people shop in Harbin, China’s Northeastern Heilongjiang province.(Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
This picture taken on December 16, 2024 shows a vendor arranging items as people shop in Harbin, China’s Northeastern Heilongjiang province.(Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
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Xi Says China Must Apply 'More Proactive' Macroeconomic Policies in 2025

This picture taken on December 16, 2024 shows a vendor arranging items as people shop in Harbin, China’s Northeastern Heilongjiang province.(Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
This picture taken on December 16, 2024 shows a vendor arranging items as people shop in Harbin, China’s Northeastern Heilongjiang province.(Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

President Xi Jinping said China will put in place "more proactive" macroeconomic policies next year, state media reported, as he addressed a top political advisory body on Tuesday.

The country has struggled this year to climb out of a slump fueled by a property market crisis, weak consumption and soaring government debt.

Beijing has unveiled a string of aggressive measures in recent months aimed at bolstering growth, including cutting interest rates, cancelling restrictions on home buying and easing the debt burden on local governments.

But economists have warned that more direct fiscal stimulus aimed at shoring up domestic consumption is needed to restore full health in China's economy, AFP reported.

"We must... further comprehensively deepen reform, expand high-level opening up, better coordinate development and security, (and) implement more proactive and effective macroeconomic policies," state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as telling the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at a New Year's tea party.

Beijing is aiming for an official national growth target this year of about five percent, a goal officials have expressed confidence in achieving but which many economists believe it will narrowly miss.

"The new quality productivity develops steadily, and annual GDP is expected to grow by about five percent," Xi reiterated on Tuesday.

The International Monetary Fund expects China's economy to grow by 4.8 percent this year and 4.5 percent next year.

Xi's comments came as Chinese authorities released optimistic factory activity figures, a sign that recent stimulus measures may be starting to take effect.

China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) -- a key measure of industrial output -- was 50.1 in December, marking a third consecutive month of expansion, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.

The figure was lower than Bloomberg analysts' prediction of 50.2, but still above 50, which indicates an expansion in manufacturing activity.

A reading below that shows a contraction.

The key indicator slid for six months in the middle of the year before returning to expansion territory in October.

The non-manufacturing PMI, which measures activity in the service sector, came in at 52.2 in December, up from 50.0 in November.

"The official PMIs suggest that the economy gained momentum in December, driven by faster growth in the services and construction sectors," Gabriel Ng of Capital Economics wrote in a note to clients Tuesday.

"Increased policy support towards the end of the year has clearly provided a near-term boost to growth," Ng wrote.

Ng noted that export orders in particular rose to a four-month high in December, "probably helped by US importers ramping up orders in advance of potential Trump tariffs.”