Vietnam joins National Zero Hunger Challenge initiative

Photo source VOV

The National Zero Hunger Challenge (ZHC), a major initiative to eradicate hunger worldwide, was launched today by the Vietnamese government in collaboration with the United Nations, including the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Zero Hunger Challenge was launched by the United Nations Secretary-General at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil in June 2012. It called on all societies to join forces to end hunger and achieve sustainable development by 2025.

To achieve this goal in Vietnam, UN agencies, coordinated by the United Nations Resident coordinator and technically supported by FAO, provided concerted assistance to this process and formulate a national action plan to implement the national ZHC.

The action plan will contribute to the country’s Socio-Economic Development Plan 2016-2020, in particular Sustainable Poverty Reduction and New Rural Development’s national target programmes.

“Vietnam’s participation in the ZHC is not only an active response to a UN initiative, but also a practical move to further address poverty reduction, food security and nutrition in rural areas, especially in remote and isolated ones home to ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups in the north west and Central Highlands,” said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who chaired the launching event.

“Our goal must be zero hunger and the launch of the ZHC is a big step forward for Vietnam as it strives to eradicate hunger,” said FAO assistant director-general and regional representative Konuma.

He said FAO was a solid partner with the government and would provide whatever technical assistance was necessary to help the people of Vietnam achieve this goal.

“We can defeat hunger if we work together. Vietnam has already reduced the proportion of undernourished by more than 70 per cent since 1990 and reached the Millennium Development Goals 1 target, zero hunger is not an impossible target,” he said.

“FAO’s continuing support to the government of Vietnam and development partners, including civil society organisations, will help us meet the challenges ahead and to attain our common Zero Hunger goal.” Konuma added.

The national action plan will create an institutional platform to design and implement food security and nutrition policies measures in a coordinated manner that will have a sustainable impact on national food security, sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development.

The UN resident coordinator Pratibha Mehta said the National ZHC would complement the efforts of the UN programme to eliminate both hunger and poverty in Vietnam.

“The UN system in Vietnam is committed to helping Vietnam achieve Zero Hunger goals through the UN One Plan” she said.