Beirut, 22 March 2018 (United Nations Information Centre) – For its inaugural activity, the Lebanese Food Coalition held a conference at “Horeca” exhibition entitled “Lebanese Food Coalition: Why Now?” at BIEL Centre in Beirut. The Conference aimed to introduce the Coalition, its background, and the purpose behind its establishment. It was attended by dozens of activists on food issues in Lebanon, as well as UN officials and representatives of the media.
The Coalition, supported by the United Nations Information Centre in Beirut (UNIC Beirut); Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), includes the following core members: Act4Tomorrow, Bonheur du Ciel, Caritas, FoodBlessed, and the Lebanese Food Bank. Specific objectives of the Coalition include raising awareness on hunger and efforts and gaps to reduce it, and the need to reduce food waste and protect the environment.
The Coalition is an open-membership to all food-related organizations beyond the core members.
In his opening statement, Maurice Saadeh, FAO Representative in Lebanon, said that they do not have accurate estimates about the average prevalence of food insecurity in Lebanon, but they know it is relatively low compared to other countries in the Region. “However, there is no doubt that in many Lebanese areas suffering from poverty we do have a significant number of Lebanese who are vulnerable to food insecurity,” Saadeh added. He also pointed out that NGOs play a leading role in ensuring that the vulnerable segments of Lebanese society do not suffer from hunger “thanks to the extensive network of food assistance and distribution provided on a regular basis by these NGOs to needy families and individuals throughout Lebanon.”
The conference featured interventions by FoodBlessed, Act4Tomorrow, and the Lebanese Food Bank.
In her intervention on “Environment Sustainability and Protection,” Maya Terro, founding member and Executive Director of FoodBlessed, said that the environmental aspect is essential in supporting efforts that aim to address climate change and preserve the green character of Lebanon. “Our work as an association within the Lebanese Food Coalition will involve awareness on the need to reduce food waste,” she said, “which will inevitably reduce waste in environmental resources such as soil, air and electricity; maintain labor in these sectors; and provide food to those who lack access to it.”
Under the theme, “Food Waste Reduction,” Paula Abdel Hak, President of Act4Tomorrow pointed out that the biggest percentage of food waste occurs in households. “We need to focus our efforts on raising awareness among communities and changing food – related behaviors to decrease these losses, improve our green- footprints and increase social responsibility and inclusion,” she added. Abdel Hak also announced that Act4Tomorrow, with the support and guidance of Lebanese Member of Parliament Ghassan Moukhaiber, has submitted a proposed law for reducing food waste under the title of “Fighting Food Waste” based on compliance, incentives and sanctions. The Lebanese Food Coalition will be following up on the implementation of all supportive regulations, monitoring performances and defining time-bound goals.
The final intervention, entitled “Reducing Hunger and Poverty,” was made by Founding Member and Accountant at the Lebanese Food Bank, Marwan Pharaon. “If we want to see a world free of hunger by 2030, governments, citizens, civil society organizations and the private sector must collaborate to invest, innovate and create lasting solutions,” he said. Pharaon added that Lebanon has made significant progress in this regard, however “poverty and income inequality remain high, with wide disparities among regions.” He proposed key areas of action for the Coalition, namely by: (1) influencing public policy; (2) contributing financially; (3) investing in health and nutrition programs; and (4) increasing awareness.