The present report is a culmination of efforts by ESCWA and a number of food security and nutrition experts and  practitioners to assess and provide sound analyses on food security and nutrition in the Arab region. The report outlines  an appropriate course of action through an assessment of challenges with an outlook towards 2030.

2020 was a challenging year, bringing human suffering to an unprecedented level socioeconomically but also healthwise. COVID-19, a novel infectious disease, spread fast and wide, distressing healthcare systems and unleashing one  of the fastest and strongest recessions the world has witnessed in recent memory. In the Arab region, the pandemic  added to many challenges that have prevailed for decades, including rapid population growth, conflicts and population  displacements, poverty and unemployment, food insecurity and malnutrition and high dependence on external food  markets in an environment of growing scarcity of water and arable land. How prepared was the region to address and  adapt to these shocks, and what lessons have been learned?

Over the last decade, many Arab countries have experienced a range of crises, including sociopolitical unrest, armed  conflicts and devastating economic downturns, driven by fluctuating oil prices and currency devaluations among  others. These added to and worsened the impacts of earlier crises. The COVID-19 pandemic thus found fertile ground  and exacerbated the many vulnerabilities of the region, notably within its food system. People’s livelihoods and health  were harmed, and State budgets were further weakened, challenging the capacity of many middle-and low-income  countries to respond accordingly.

The food needs of the Arab region are underpinned by regional and global trade and accordingly require a  sustainable, well-functioning food system that generates incomes and builds livelihoods while preserving the fast  depleting and degrading natural resources. The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures adopted to stem its spread  upended the functioning of food markets. Constrained movements and food hoarding led to a temporary emptying  of store shelves, while fresh foods were discarded as demand from restaurants and other institutional buyers  decreased. This severely impacted food-related businesses, and led to a rise in unemployment, income losses and  increased poverty.

The present report sheds light on how COVID-19 has impacted food security in the region while highlighting the  weaknesses and vulnerabilities underlying local, national and regional food systems and their susceptibility to shocks. 

Throughout, the report provides options to respond to rising food insecurity, address the current status of food and  nutrition, reduce vulnerabilities and respond to COVID-19, with a view to highlighting alternative ways to enhance  resiliency to future shocks.

As such, the report is a useful reference as the region aims to build back better. It is the hope of ESCWA that its content  and findings will help inform policymaking and programme planning, and assist countries to move more confidently  towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly as related to SDG 2, along with  other targets and indicators supporting the achievement of food security.