ESCWA Publication: E/ESCWA/CL1.CCS/2024/1
Country: Arab region, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Kingdom of Bahrain, Union of the Comoros, Republic of Djibouti, Arab Republic of Egypt, Republic of Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Kuwait, Lebanese Republic, State of Libya, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Kingdom of Morocco, Sultanate of Oman, State of Palestine, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Republic of Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Yemen
Publication Type: Reports & studies
Cluster: Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability
Focus Area: Climate change, Natural resource sustainability
Initiatives: Climate Resilience through Regional Cooperation
SDGs: Agenda 2030, Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Keywords: Algeria, Arab countries, Armed conflicts, Bahrain, Comoros, Diet, Djibouti, Egypt, Environmental aspects, Evaluation, Food habits, Food policy, Food production, Food security, Food supply, Food waste, Globalization, Health indicators, Income distribution, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malnutrition, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Poverty, Qatar, Recommendations, Resilience, Saudi arabia, Socio-economic indicators, Somalia, State of palestine, Statistical data, Sudan, Sustainable development, Syrian arab republic, Tunisia, United arab emirates, Urbanization, Yemen
Assessing food systems in the Arab region
December 2024
This report focuses on assessing food security and developing an updated assessment framework for evaluating food systems in the Arab region. It outlines a comprehensive approach to assessing food systems in a way that accounts for the key dimensions of food security – availability, access, utilization, stability, agency and sustainability – by integrating them into a food systems framework through its commonly accepted components, external drivers and outcomes. This allows for a categorization of Arab food systems based on income levels, conflict status and food system development stages to highlight known challenges and recommend action steps for achieving the desired food systems transformation. It also enables the evaluation of Arab food systems based on their ability to support three key attributes: inclusivity, a measure of equity and food justice; resilience, the capacity to recover from shocks such as conflicts or pandemics; and sustainability, which concerns resource scarcity and environmental pressures. The Arab Food Systems Assessment Tool thus aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Arab food systems landscape, enabling policymakers to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to improve food security, reduce inequalities, enhance resilience and promote sustainability in the region.
Related content
Climate change
, Natural resource sustainability
,
This report focuses on assessing food security and developing an updated assessment framework for evaluating food systems in the Arab region. It outlines a comprehensive approach to assessing food systems in a way that accounts for the key dimensions of food security – availability, access, utilization, stability, agency and sustainability – by integrating them into a food systems framework through its commonly accepted components, external drivers and outcomes. This allows for a categorization of Arab food systems based on income levels, conflict status and food system development stages to highlight known challenges and recommend action steps for achieving the desired food systems transformation. It also enables the evaluation of Arab food systems based on their ability to support three key attributes: inclusivity, a measure of equity and food justice; resilience, the capacity to recover from shocks such as conflicts or pandemics; and sustainability, which concerns resource scarcity and environmental pressures. The Arab Food Systems Assessment Tool thus aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Arab food systems landscape, enabling policymakers to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to improve food security, reduce inequalities, enhance resilience and promote sustainability in the region.
