The progress made in Türkiye for the transformation of food systems was discussed at a partner consultation workshop organized by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry at the UN Türkiye premises in Ankara. “Sustainable food systems are essential to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda” underlined UN Resident Coordinator Alvaro Rodriguez in a video message he sent to the UN Food Systems Stock Taking Moment Partner Consultation Workshop held on May 30.   The overall objective of the partner consultation workshop was to support Türkiye’s efforts in the 2023 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment that will take place in Rome, Italy from 24 – 26 July 2023, at the premises of the FAO.  The consultation workshop allowed 50 participants representing the public sector, private sector, academia, and CSOs to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the transformation of food systems and the National Food System Transformation Pathway of Türkiye. Rodriguez emphasized that the workshop is especially important since it will be recording Türkiye’s progress made in the last two years toward implementing its food systems transformation”. Türkiye is an important agricultural and food production country he said and added “Strong international agri-food trade connections of Türkiye position the country as a food hub for its adjacent regions and beyond”. Speaking at the event Head of the RCO Tom Delrue said that the region affected by the recent earthquakes in Türkiye is accounting for almost 15% of Türkiye’s total agricultural GDP. “The main objective of the response for the earthquake-hit provinces should be to maintain food access and availability through restoration and improvement of agri-food systems and rural livelihoods for the strength of national food security” he stated. Attending the workshop via video conference from Gaziantep the FAO Türkiye Deputy Representative Ayşegül Selışık said as part of FAO’s strategic framework, they are focusing on better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life to transform the food systems. “We emphasize the importance of leaving no one behind, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable communities” she stressed. In line with the Food Systems Summit, FAO seeks to enable and strengthen dialogue among stakeholders for food systems transformation. In doing so, they provide policy advice to decision-makers, in particular governments, encouraging them to support sustainable and inclusive food systems. They also build and enhance national and institutional capacities by transferring our expertise through knowledge exchange. As part of the UN Food Systems Summit, over 100 countries, including Türkiye, have prepared National Food Systems Transformation Pathways to transform their food systems and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. In his opening remarks the National Dialogue Convener of Türkiye Fuat Kasımcan from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF) said Türkiye's National Pathway coordinated by MoAF includes 10 main priority goals and 117 actions linked to 5 action areas to transform food systems and achieve the SDGs by 2030. “The workshop will contribute significantly to country preparations for the Stocktaking Moment Meeting in Rome in July and the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York in September” he emphasized. Sustainable Food Systems are a cross-cutting thematic area that contributes to the advancement of the SDGs in a holistic way, stated Bülent Açıkgöz UN Türkiye’s Partnerships and Development Finance Officer. The partner consultation workshop helped to map all partners’ initiatives/projects on food systems transformation in Türkiye, to identify steps taken to implement the actions prioritized in the National Pathway, and compile main achievements; challenges and document how those challenges were overcome. The workshop also allowed to identify best practices on food systems transformation and flagship initiatives that can be initiated.

At the halfway mark to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is at an inflection point. Lingering socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing poverty, persisting inequalities, conflicts, rising costs of living, and the widespread effects of the climate emergency are threatening to slow down and undo hard-won sustainable development gains. Five years after sweeping reforms to reposition the UN to serve countries better, UN teams on the ground are rising to these challenges under revamped leadership and pushing for more concerted efforts to support governments and communities across the world.   The 2023 Report of the Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group on the Development Coordination Office (DCO) and the Resident Coordinator (RC) system dives deep into the real and tangible impacts of investing strategically in development coordination across country, regional and global levels. It is a testament to how far we can go when we work together as one UN.  Here are six ways in which the reinvigorated RC system and fit-for-purpose UN teams on the ground are advancing progress toward the SDGs: 1.Resident Coordinators’ enhanced leadership has enabled UN teams to respond more effectively to the diverse needs and priorities of countries. Resident Coordinators have leveraged their new-found neutral positions to build trust, forge coalitions, incentivize joint approaches and deliver SDG policy and financing solutions, tailored to the different needs and national development priorities of Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, Small Islands Developing States and Middle-Income countries. 90 per cent of host Governments continue to agree that RCs have the needed profile and skillsets to deliver effectively; 92 per cent say that the UN adequately provides evidence-based policy advice (an increase from 88 per cent in 2021); 88 per cent confirmed that RCs effectively lead the delivery of strategic support for national plans and priorities, as in 2021. 
  2. The RC system continued to lead the charge to eradicate poverty and leave no one behind in countries. For example, Resident Coordinators in 69 countries led UN teams to develop new joint programmes on food security and nutrition. They continued to champion gender equality and women’s empowerment; lead a steady improvement in meaningful engagement of youth in joint planning processes; guide UN teams in supporting national partners in advancing human rights for sustainable development; mobilize assets and expertise from across humanitarian, development and peacebuilding action to advance the 2030 Agenda; and serve as the first responders to sudden emergencies, as those that hit Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Vanuatu.     Nearly 90 per cent (87 per cent) of host Governments note that today the RC serves as a one-stop shop for the collective UN offer, consolidating the UN’s support to the country – a 35 per cent increase since the reforms in 2019.  
  3. Resident Coordinators are also forging partnerships with donors, private sector, financing institutions and civil society, to galvanize collective action to advance national development priorities. Whether it was attracting private investments to scale up public health clinics and insurance in Kenya, championing business sustainability in Uzbekistan or working with local academia on water quality assessments in Samoa, the RCs have brought UN expertise together with partners to deliver integrated solutions to a broad range of development challenges.  92 per cent of host Governments say that RCs contributed to leveraging partnerships in support of national efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda and achieve the SDGs (compared to 85 per cent in 2020). 4. Resident Coordinators and their teams have played a critical role in unlocking funding for UN teams and boosting access to SDG Financing for national Governments to advance the 2030 Agenda. They established country-level SDG pooled funds to incentivize UN teams’ joint programming and implementation of the jointly agreed roadmaps to advance the SDGs, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, and led UN teams’ submissions to the global Joint SDG Fund. The Fund, hosted by DCO, has made US $260 million in financial commitments to 119 UN teams since 2019, reaching 188 million people with social protection, building resilience in 42 Small Islands Developing States and supporting the implementation of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) in 69 countries. The RCs also play a systematic role in unlocking resources from other global pooled funds, including the Spotlight Initiative, the Central Emergency Response Fund and the Peacebuilding Fund in countries like Haiti, Burkina Faso, Vanuatu and others. 5. The RC system has been instrumental for the UN to communicate with one voice and be more accountable for development results. Development coordination has been particularly effective to articulate the urgent sustainable development priorities in countries, and to help tackle hate speech, misinformation and disinformation in several countries. From raising awareness and establishing a National Plan of Action and a National Observatory against hate speech in Costa Rica, to facilitating a consortium to track and monitor hate speech in real-time during elections in Kenya, RCs are pooling together joint efforts within the UN family and leveraging innovative tools to promote fact-based narratives on pertinent issues. And in 2022, all UN teams produced their annual report on results achieved in country, making both successes and challenges fully visible to Governments and the public. 6. A big part of UN efficiencies achieved have also been steered by the new RC system. The RC system transition of operational services from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to the UN Secretariat has saved $10 million since 2020 - $3.4 million in 2022 alone. The DCO investments in support of system-wide efforts to advance more joined up operations, cost savings and cost avoidance across the UN development system have led to efficiencies by the system and single UN entities estimated at around $405 million – an increase of 47 per cent from $275 million in 2021. In addition, RCs are leading on implementing high-impact common services such as renewable energy use, gender-responsive procurement, and disability inclusion and accessibility. 80 per cent of host Governments’ agree that the RC helps to minimize duplication of efforts among UN agencies, ensuring the efficient use of resources, a 24 per cent increase since the reforms in 2019. The returns of investments in development coordination through the Resident Coordinator system are clear. But for these impacts to be sustained, the RC system needs to have adequate, predictable and sustainable funding. The agreed budget of $281 million for the RC system is a critical minimum investment for effective development coordination. Despite significant commitments by Member States, voluntary contributions have increasingly fallen short. In 2022, the RC system faced the largest funding gap to date. This jeopardizes the ability of the RC system to continue to deliver the support that national Governments need.  In these times of crises, demands placed upon the RC system are growing. Ambitions for 2030 need to be met with equal support. Member states need to renew the steadfast commitment that has marked the UN reforms thus far. For people and planet, paving the way for a sustainable tomorrow. 
Read the interactive version of the 2023 report here.

Over two million deaths and $4.3 trillion in economic losses; that’s the impact of a half-century of extreme weather events turbo-charged by man-made global warming, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday.  According to WMO, weather, climate and water-related hazards caused close to 12,000 disasters between 1970 and 2021. Developing countries were hit hardest, seeing nine in 10 deaths and 60 per cent of economic losses from climate shocks and extreme weather.   WMO said that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States suffered a “disproportionately” high cost in relation to the size of their economies.  “The most vulnerable communities unfortunately bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.  Staggering inequalities  In Least Developed Countries, WMO reported that several disasters over the past half-century had caused economic losses of up to 30 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).  In Small Island Developing States, one in five disasters had an impact “equivalent to more than five per cent” of GDP, with some disasters wiping out countries’ entire GDP.  Asia saw the highest death toll due to extreme weather, climate and water-related events over the past 50 years, with close to one million deaths – more than half in Bangladesh alone.  In Africa, WMO said that droughts accounted for 95 per cent of the reported 733,585 climate disaster deaths.  Early warnings save lives  WMO stressed however that improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management have helped mitigate the deadly impact of disasters. “Early warnings save lives,” Mr. Taalas insisted.  The UN agency also noted that recorded deaths for 2020 and 2021 were lower than the previous decade’s average.  Pointing to the example of last week’s severe cyclonic storm Mocha, which caused devastation in Myanmar’s and Bangladesh’s coastal areas and hit “the poorest of the poor”, Mr. Taalas recalled that similar weather disasters in the past caused “death tolls of tens and even hundreds of thousands” in both countries.   “Thanks to early warnings and disaster management these catastrophic mortality rates are now thankfully history,” the WMO chief said.  ‘Low-hanging fruit’  The agency had previously shown that just 24 hours’ notice prior to an impending weather hazard can cut the ensuing damage by 30 per cent, calling early warnings the “low-hanging fruit” of climate change adaptation because of their tenfold return on investment.  WMO issued its new findings on the human and economic cost of weather-induced disasters for its quadrennial World Meteorological Congress, which opened on Monday in Geneva with a focus on implementing the UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative.   Leave no one behind  The initiative aims to ensure that early warning services reach everyone on Earth by the end of 2027. It was launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm al-Sheikh in November last year.   Currently, only half of the world is covered by early warning systems, with Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries left far behind.  Earlier this year, the UN chief brought together agency heads and partners to fast-track the Early Warnings for All initiative into action.   A first set of 30 particularly at-risk countries – nearly half of them in Africa – have been identified for the roll-out of the initiative in 2023.   

Text by Gizem Yarbil Gurol. Photos: UNOCHA/Ahmad Abdulnafi Original article at: https://unocha.exposure.co/turkiye-surviving-with-help-and-hope The powerful earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye in February caused widespread destruction and devastation in urban and rural areas. The earthquakes — the strongest ever recorded in Türkiye since 1939 — significantly impacted 11 provinces and directly affected 9.1 million people. At least 3 million people have relocated, as their homes and communities were torn apart. But for many, their new reality is one of uncertainty and hardship. Some people moved to cities across the country, others went to formal camps managed by the Government, but the majority took shelter in tents or makeshift shelters, often located close to damaged buildings or their own destroyed homes.  Many rural communities chose to settle close to their damaged homes because of their deep ties to the land. Leaving behind their agricultural land and livestock — their primary sources of income and livelihood — was not an option. However, these communities are now increasingly vulnerable, as they are often located in remote, hard-to-reach areas significantly impacted by the earthquakes. The narrow and rocky road to İncekoz village in Adıyaman, one of Türkiye’s most-affected provinces, presents a daunting challenge. The earthquakes wreaked havoc on the already risky route to the province, causing large rocks to fall from nearby mountains onto both sides of the road. This made it increasingly precarious for cars to navigate the area, and it is now more challenging to deliver aid. The earthquakes’ aftermath has not been easy for the people of İncekoz. Of the 56 houses in the village, 25 collapsed. The villagers say that assistance and services were significantly delayed following the earthquakes. “We didn’t have electricity for almost a month,” says Zeynep Tutar, while her friend Fatma Karlı recalls how 16 people had to cram into a minibus for shelter for almost two weeks, as initially there were no tents.  But for one family, the losses were immense. The Fil family finished building their home just two years ago, only to see it reduced to rubble. They survived, but their livestock, which was their livelihood, were not as fortunate; many were trapped in a barn and killed. The family also lost their tractor.
“We’ve lost everything,” laments Esma Fil. “We were only able to save our own lives, we couldn’t salvage much from the rubble.” Aydın Fil explains: “Our biggest source of livelihood here is tobacco and livestock farming. We have received some aid for the animals that survived, but no aid was provided to compensate for the animals killed.”   Hüseyin, also a tobacco farmer, lost his goats to the earthquakes. He now also worries about losing his home, which was heavily damaged. Authorities told him his house must be demolished, but he wants to fix it rather than lose it. Despite the challenges, these farmers still have hope; they look forward to the tobacco farming season to resume their livelihood. “Life goes on,” says Aydın Fil. “We are waiting for spring and summer. We will plant tobacco again. We will also plant onions, greenery and vegetables. We will plant whatever we can.” The earthquake-affected region is known as the Fertile Crescent and is critical for agricultural production, food industry and agricultural livelihoods. Initial assessments indicate that the earthquakes damaged more than 20 per cent of Türkiye’s agricultural production. This includes severe damage to crops, livestock and rural infrastructure, which has an immediate and longer-term impact on the availability of food. The impact of physical damage and disruption to basic services is felt differently across locations, with those in rural areas experiencing more limited access to services. While the Government plans to support people with relief and recovery assistance, due to the scale of the disaster many people, particularly in rural areas, are still living in extremely difficult conditions. Concern Worldwide and its implementing partner Gökkuşağı go from door to door in Adıyaman’s remote villages to make sure communities have the essential aid they need. Rojda Dinç, Programme Officer at Concern Worldwide, explains: “İncekoz is a region where the destruction is too heavy and it is very difficult to reach these areas, so very few aid organizations operate here. Initially, we consulted with the mukhtar (village head) to identify the primary needs of rural people in this area. Based on his feedback, we discovered that while food packages and blankets had been distributed, hygiene items were lacking. So, our focus today is providing hygiene packages. However, we take the time to visit each tent and assess the specific needs of the people residing there, distributing aid accordingly." As we make our way from the outskirts of Adıyaman towards the city centre, we come across a livelier scene in Narlıkuyu camp. Here, Turkish NGO Pikolo set up a child-friendly space that offers psychosocial support activities to children displaced by the earthquakes. Despite their trauma and emotional burden, the children play with enthusiasm. Havva Karahanlı, a Child Psychologist working at the camp, explains: “Yesterday we played a game of wishes, and what struck me the most was that many children wished to return home. It became clear to me just how much they yearned for their homes.”
She says the earthquakes left the children in emotional turmoil, and that they need a place of refuge, a space where they can feel safe and find comfort. But the tents are too small to accommodate entire families of four or five people, and in some cases more people have to stay in a single tent, especially in overcrowded, informal settlements. Havva and other Pikolo team members work tirelessly to give the children the support they need, offering one-on-one psychosocial support sessions and playing games. Each day about 40 to 70 children between 6 and 16 come to the tent to participate in Pikolo’s activities. Psychological support for people traumatized by the earthquakes is a critical need throughout the region. An assessment by Turkish NGO Nirengi Association revealed the extent of the challenges children are facing. Many cannot comprehend what has happened, process the loss of loved ones and friends, or effectively recognize and express their emotions. And because children live in cramped temporary shelters, they often witness their parents' fear and anxiety, which adds to their own stress and anxiety. "Anxiety and anger seem to consume them," Havva says. "They worry if the earthquakes will happen again, and if they will ever be able to return to their homes." However, she and her team are noticing improvements in the children's behaviour towards each other. "There's still some way to go, but we've seen a positive shift in their interactions. They're slowly but surely learning to process their emotions and find comfort in each other's company," she adds. Songül Olcay, a Child Development Specialist in this child-friendly space, is from Adıyaman and survived the earthquakes. She explains: “We had a life before the earthquakes. We used to be able to buy anything we wanted, but now we have to wait in lines for basic necessities. It's a feeling of neediness and dependency. Three days after the earthquakes, I started to volunteer at a soup kitchen in our neighbourhood. I realized that sitting at home and thinking too much was not good for me. Volunteering helped me heal faster." Fidan Akat, a Social Worker at Pikolo and an earthquake survivor, echoes Songül's sentiments about the healing power of volunteering. "We saw a lot of terrible things while doing humanitarian work, and some of my friends couldn't handle the pain and quit,” she said. But Fidan persisted, delivering vital aid and helping to set up the child-friendly centre. She says they chose the location for the centre because the nearby buildings, although heavily damaged, have not yet been demolished.  “At least the buildings are still standing. Let the children see these,” she says. © 2023 UN Humanitarian