Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

  Briefing note by the   High-Level   Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition 14 April 2022 (this is from the FAO web site for references go here  ) 1.      Food security and nutrition crises The war instigated by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has major implications for global food security and nutrition (FSN). The war has triggered new crises in food systems on top of existing challenges that were already undermining the global community’s goal of achieving Sustainable Development Goal #2: “Zero hunger”.   Most immediately, the war has sparked a major humanitarian emergency in Ukraine that is violating people’s right to food and livelihood. Many towns and regions in Ukraine are experiencing a breakdown of the enabling environment for FSN, including the deterioration of health services, water and energy services, care of children and the elderly, social prot...

Guest blog by Eurodad.  This week’s IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings provided the strongest proof yet of the urgent need for reform to the global economic architecture and governance, as the spillovers from the Ukraine war increased the complexity of the multiple crises facing the world. The unprecedented accumulation of financial pressures quickly became clear: the worsening debt crisis and divergences in economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic have been compounded by inflationary pressures, food and energy price spikes, and by increasing political and social instability. According to  estimates from the World Bank , an additional 75-95 million people will be pushed into extreme poverty in 2022. Yet, while the IMF and World Bank both sounded the alarm on this untenable situation, neither institution - nor the G20 - presented the world with the ambitious solutions it needs and instead continued with either the same failed responses, or no clear plan at all. For example,...

 Speech by Janet Yellen US Treasury Secretary republished from here. "My thanks to Fred and the Atlantic Council for hosting me today.   The course of the global economy over the past two years has been shaped by COVID-19 and our efforts to fight the pandemic.  It’s now evident though that the war between Russia and Ukraine has redrawn the contours of the world economic outlook.   Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine and its people is taking a devastating human toll—with lives tragically lost, families internally displaced or becoming refugees, and communities and cities destroyed.  The atrocities in Bucha are the latest grim reminder of the brutality of Putin’s war of choice.  Its impacts are reverberating to neighboring countries and beyond.  The Biden Administration stands firmly with the people of Ukraine as they defend their lives, their homes, and their country.  We are resolute in our commitment to hold Russia accountable. ...