The immediate action of parliamentarians to adapt and advance legal,
political, and institutional frameworks to end hunger and guarantee
availability of nutritional and healthy diets are vital, said José Graziano
da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO).

"Being responsible for passing laws and reviewing budgets, you can play a
key role in promoting food security and improving nutrition in your
respective countries," he added. He discussed these to about 200
parliamentarians attending the Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger
and Malnutrition in Madrid, Spain in October 2018.

"We need to put in place food systems that provide healthy and nutritious
food that is accessible to all," he added, noting that obesity should be
treated as a public issue and not exclusively as an individual's problem.
According to FAO data, there are 821 million hungry people or 11 percent of
the world's population. Other forms of malnutrition have also increased
wherein 2 billion overweight adults were reported, and 672 million are
obese.

"Despite the recent setbacks, a world without hunger and malnutrition is
still within reach, but we must act quickly and decisively. It is our common
responsibility to promote the political will that allows us to guarantee
that everyone can feed themselves with dignity. Zero Hunger by 2030 is still
possible if we all work together," Graziano da Silva concluded.

[www.fao.org]