Statement by H.E. Ambassador ISHIKANE Kimihiro, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Conflict and Food Security
2021/3/11
Madam President,
I would like to begin by thanking the United States for convening this important meeting. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and others for their briefings.
As a staunch supporter of the concept of human security, Japan attaches great importance to access to quality nutrition across the world. Japan echoes the urgent need to respond to the deteriorating global food security situation resulting from the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, placing the highest number of people undernourished. Rapid and effective delivery of humanitarian assistance is needed.
Madam President,
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 2286 on healthcare in armed conflict, to which Japan contributed as a co-penholder in 2016. Despite the passing of this resolution and the subsequent Resolution 2417 on conflict and hunger, it is regrettable that we continue to witness increased attacks against medical and humanitarian personnel and their facilities in conflict zones. Safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel to civilians under conflict continues to be a matter of high priority. The Security Council must use its influence to the fullest extent to facilitate the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and to ensure that the key provisions of international humanitarian law are respected.
Japan wishes to take this opporunity to pay tribute to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its dedicated efforts to end global hunger, as the Nobel Committee did last year in awarding its Prize for Peace to the organization. The news was warmly welcomed in Japan as a major donor to the WFP, which made a contribution of USD 196 million last year. At the beginning of this year we decided on an additional contribution of over USD 158 million to the WFP.
Japan has been a consistent partner of the WFP to improve food security around the world, partciulary to support the most vulnerable people affected by conflict. In Yemen, Japan decided to provide USD 25 million to the WFP this year to respond to the acute food crisis, ensuring nutritional support to over 2.8 million people. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the protracted conflict and violence have caused serious food insecurity, Japan decided to contribute over USD 8.3 million to the WFP this year to provide 66,000 people with emergency food assistance and 31,000 children with school meals for ten months. We also decided to contribute USD 20.5 million to refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities in the Sahel region, where more than 668,000 people will have access to food and nutrition this year through the WFP.
Madam President,
Japan is determined to continue making every effort to address food insecurity, particularly in situations of armed conflict. We fully support the Secretary-General’s initiative for the Food Systems Summit to take place during the General Assembly High Level-Week in September. Japan will also be hosting the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 in December to accelerate global efforts to fight against malnutrition. We look forward to working closely with the United Nations in this endeavor.
Thank you.
I would like to begin by thanking the United States for convening this important meeting. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and others for their briefings.
As a staunch supporter of the concept of human security, Japan attaches great importance to access to quality nutrition across the world. Japan echoes the urgent need to respond to the deteriorating global food security situation resulting from the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, placing the highest number of people undernourished. Rapid and effective delivery of humanitarian assistance is needed.
Madam President,
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 2286 on healthcare in armed conflict, to which Japan contributed as a co-penholder in 2016. Despite the passing of this resolution and the subsequent Resolution 2417 on conflict and hunger, it is regrettable that we continue to witness increased attacks against medical and humanitarian personnel and their facilities in conflict zones. Safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel to civilians under conflict continues to be a matter of high priority. The Security Council must use its influence to the fullest extent to facilitate the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and to ensure that the key provisions of international humanitarian law are respected.
Japan wishes to take this opporunity to pay tribute to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its dedicated efforts to end global hunger, as the Nobel Committee did last year in awarding its Prize for Peace to the organization. The news was warmly welcomed in Japan as a major donor to the WFP, which made a contribution of USD 196 million last year. At the beginning of this year we decided on an additional contribution of over USD 158 million to the WFP.
Japan has been a consistent partner of the WFP to improve food security around the world, partciulary to support the most vulnerable people affected by conflict. In Yemen, Japan decided to provide USD 25 million to the WFP this year to respond to the acute food crisis, ensuring nutritional support to over 2.8 million people. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the protracted conflict and violence have caused serious food insecurity, Japan decided to contribute over USD 8.3 million to the WFP this year to provide 66,000 people with emergency food assistance and 31,000 children with school meals for ten months. We also decided to contribute USD 20.5 million to refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities in the Sahel region, where more than 668,000 people will have access to food and nutrition this year through the WFP.
Madam President,
Japan is determined to continue making every effort to address food insecurity, particularly in situations of armed conflict. We fully support the Secretary-General’s initiative for the Food Systems Summit to take place during the General Assembly High Level-Week in September. Japan will also be hosting the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 in December to accelerate global efforts to fight against malnutrition. We look forward to working closely with the United Nations in this endeavor.
Thank you.