2012 G20 Watch
Date: Mon, 2012-06-18
Location: Los Cabos, Mexico
Hosting organization: The Government of Mexico
Mexican President's Op/Ed
President Calderón puts food security, nutrition front and centre at G20
17 JUNE 2012 | LOS CABOS, MEXICO — On the eve of the 2012 G20 Summit, Mexican President Felipe Calderón broke the news that he would make food security and nutrition the top agenda item for the 20 world leaders he would be hosting in Los Cabos from 18-19 June.
“That almost one billion people in the world remain undernourished is unacceptable,” President Calderón wrote in an op/ed published in the Financial Times just past midnight on the eve of the summit. “The time has come for food security to be considered one of the most important tasks humanity must address in the 21st century, and this year’s G20 meeting will be a strong step in that direction.”
This announcement was warmly welcomed by civil society organizations, who had petitioned the president in the days approaching the summit to make sure G20 leaders focus on progress for the developing world, and especially on the fight against malnutrition, during their high-level meeting in Mexico.
“The long-term health of the global economy depends on your ability to pursue an inclusive course of action, and find solutions for the poorest as well as the better-off countries,” Bill Gates wrote in a letter to President Calderón in advance of the summit. “We need to take stronger steps, building on G20 countries’ own experience, to ensure broad-based progress in developing countries, especially in health and food production.”
Building on recommendations made at a meeting of G20 business organizations (known as the B20), which took place in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico from June 16-17, members of the G8/G20 Task Force released a list of statements expressing their goals for the upcoming G20 summit, including the following statement from PMNCH Director Carole Presern.
"We call on the G20 leaders to integrate nutrition security into their recommendations on food security. It is not enough to increase food production without ensuring that the vulnerable of the world -- especially women and children -- have access to it. The nutritional health of our women and children is not a cost but an investment that contributes to future economic growth and sustainable development."