REPORT + WEBINAR: The role of aquatic foods in sustainable healthy diets

7 May 2021. 2:00pm to 3:30pm CEST. Launch event - The role of aquatic foods in sustainable healthy diets.

The webinar will be recorded and published online on the event page. 

WorldFish, (2021) The role of aquatic foods in sustainable healthy diets  UN Nutrition discussion paper, 64 pp. 

This new UN Nutrition discussion paper aims to build consensus on the role of aquatic foods in sustainable healthy diets, presenting the breadth of evidence available to inform and steer policy, investments and research to make full use of the vast potential of aquatic foods in delivering sustainable healthy diets and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Aquatic foods are part of the solution to building resilient food systems and sustainable healthy diets for all, but for this to be fully achieved, they need to be available, accessible, affordable and desired. To this end, the paper presents a number of strategies such as, promoting changes in consumer behavior, ensuring sustainability of productions systems, and improving the governance of aquatic resources for food security and nutrition.

The event featured speakers from several UN Nutrition member agencies as well as WorldFish, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Global Action Network on Sustainable Food from the Ocean and Inland Waters for Food Security and Nutrition, who reacted to the main findings of the discussion paper and shared insights on the role of aquatic foods in their specific contexts.

• Moderator Stineke Oenema Coordinator United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition
• Introduction - Dr. Naoko Yamamoto, UN Nutrition Chair and Assistant Director General for Universal Health Coverage, WHO
• Keynote address - Dr. Gareth Johnstone, Director General, WorldFish
• Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted, Global Lead, Nutrition and Public Health, WorldFish
• Ms. Molly Ahern, Food Security and Nutrition Specialist, FAO
• Mr. Thanawat Tiensin, CFS Chair and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN Agencies in Rome
• Ms. Kefilwe Moalosi, Nutrition and Food safety Specialist, AUDA-NEPAD
• Dr. Fatiha Terki, Country Director, WFP Senegal
• Mr. Richard Abila, Senior Technical Specialist in Fisheries and Aquaculture, IFAD
• Ms. Anita Utheim Iversen, Leader of the Global Action Network on Sustainable Food from the Ocean and Inland Waters for Food Security and Nutrition