Welcome to this Information Services briefing at the UN in Geneva.
Today is Friday 5th of January and the first thing for me is of course wishing you a very happy New Year.
And so while we are, as you all know, in a very dire situation in many countries of the world, we really wish that this New Year will be in more peace, more serenity and more health to everyone.
We have a very short briefing today.
I will start immediately with our sorry, with our guests from Rome.
We have with us Mrs Monica Totova, who is the FAO senior economist who is here to update us on the global food commodity prices that the index that Foer has published.
Mrs Totova, you have the floor.
Let me join Alessandra and wishing everybody Happy New Year and thank you for the opportunity to brief you about the latest developments of the FAO Food Price Index which was released this morning at 10:00.
The index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally traded commodities and 18 1/2 points in December, down 1 1/2% from November and down about 10% from its value one year ago.
For 2023 as a whole, the index was almost 14% lower than the average value over the preceding year, with only International Sugar Price Index higher.
Now focusing on individual commodity groups, the serial index increased as wheat, maize, rice and Barney prices all rose, reflecting logistical disruptions that hindered shipments from major exporting countries.
For the year as a whole again, the serial index was about 15% below the 2022 average, which on the account of the well supplied global markets.
However, the FAO Rice Price index, which is part of the Cereal price index, increased by over 20%, mostly owing to concern over the impact of El Nino on the right production and in the master mass of export restrictions imposed by India.
Moving over to the vegetable oils, which decline respecting subdued purchases with soil in particular impacted by a slowdown in demand from the biodiesel sector as well as improving weather conditions in Brazil.
For the 2023 as a whole, again the index was almost 33% below it's previous year's level.
Sugar decline almost 17% from November, the largest decrease from all indices hitting a nine months low, but still it remain almost 15% about in December 2022.
Level that this plunge in the sugar quotation was only driven by strong pace of production in Brazil along with reduced use of sugar cane for ethanol production.
In India, again, focusing on 23 as a whole, the sugar price index was up almost 27% from 2022 and the highest value since 2011, mainly on concern of tighter global sugar balance.
Finally, for livestock products, the meat price index decreased marginally, impacted by weak import demand from Asia for pig meat.
Regional buying interest also slowed for bovine and poultry meat despite ample exportable supplies, while the ovine meat prices rose ahead of the end of the holiday end of the year holidays.
Last but not least, daily daily price index increased led by higher quotation for butter and cheese, mostly underpinned by strong internal seal sales in Western Europe ahead of the holiday season.
Finally, again for 2023 as a whole, both meat and daily price in the season went down compared to 2022, underpinned by weaker import demand amid ample stocks.
With that, I will end my briefing and I'm looking forward to questions.
Thank you very much, Mrs Totoval.
I have, I see Michel Legrand from Geneva Solution.
I wanted to know a little bit, can you tell us a little bit what you expect for this year?
I mean with the different conflicts and you know, we've, we've seen the number of of people facing food, food insecurity just growing and growing.
So just what are your main concerns for this year?
So there is there are more questions in your question, more than one question actually in your question.
So let me let me put it into pieces, right.
So the the food price index is looking at the prices of commodities that are globally traded.
We are looking at cereals, vegetable oils, sugar, meat and dairy.
Again, it's meat and dairy that can be comparable that is traded across the countries.
So in those five commodity groups which covers the main traded commodities, what we see right now is that most of the markets are relatively well supplied.
But what we are noticing are concerns how these supplies are going to get where they need to be, right.
And this implies for example challenges, challenges in a logistical arrangements.
We have observed that many rivers for example, are that serve as a major link in moving the goods from the exporting areas to importing areas where affected by drought.
For example, the situation in the Black Sea that allows exports from Ukraine, although Ukraine continues exporting via Black Sea also remains very, very sensitive and and very uncertain in terms of what can happen and right.
So and right now the situation remains relatively calm.
However, any uncertainty will have significant impacts.
Also from the production point of view, with the exception of sugar when there were some concerns, the situation remains quite good.
So now going to the second part of your question, which when you mentioned the the food insecure people, food insecurity across the world is driven by many factors and the most significant one or one of the most significant 1 still remains conflict.
Of course, the higher commodity prices are making it for many countries difficult to import sufficient amounts of of basic foods of staple foods to satisfy the needs.
So on the impact of food insecurity, it is the concern of the conflict.
It is the concern of an equal recovery and inequality within the countries that are driving the acute food insecurity.
So to summarise in in one or two sentences, the situation on the world market is relatively calm at this point, but there are many other factors that are impacting the acute food insecurity across the world.
Thank you very much, Mrs Toba.
Is there any other question for FAO?
I'm looking at the list of participants.
So thank you very much Mrs Totova for this update.
And I go to our next speaker was Claire, Claire Nullis from WMO.
Claire, good morning and happy, Happy New Year.
Good morning everybody and happy, happy, happy New Year.
As you all know, Professor Celeste Salo and has started work as the WMO Secretary General.
She's physically arrived 2 days ago and her first day in the office was yesterday.
We sent out a press release sort of late yesterday afternoon about it.
She's the first female Secretary General of WMO, the first from Latin America and we're obviously very, very excited to to have her with us and to to be working working with her and working for her.
We on a practical note, we were planning on having a press conference in the Palais with Palais journalist next week to introduce you to hub.
Given that the Palais is closed, we'll, we'll probably reschedule that.
And so do we'll, we'll, we'll probably do it the following week just because we think it's better for you to be able to meet her in person than than doing it via, via Zoom.
So you know, just just bear with us and we'll liaise with Alessandra and team on the best, on the best timing, on the best timing for that separately.
And also on a practical planning note, we're getting lots of questions on when we are going to release the the 2023 temperature data.
And so it's just to say that the consolidated global temperature data, and this is based on 6 international data sets that will be released on January the 12th.
So that is next, next Friday, we will issue a press release on it.
If possible, I'll try and send it out.
It is quite a tight turn around time because we literally only get the data in at the last minute from, from, from NASA, Noah and the, and the Met Office.
But just that that that's for your planning purposes.
Europe's Copernicus climate change service, they will be announcing their figures for 2023 already on the 9th of January.
But we have to wait till the 12th because we need all the remaining data set data sets.
But we, you know, we, we can already say and we have been saying that 2023 was the hottest year on record, but we're just now waiting for those final figures.
Thank you very much, Claire.
Is there any question to the BMO?
If there is any hand that comes up, well, I don't see any.
Yes, of course, we will keep you informed of the way that WMO will will introduce you to the new Director General.
If there is no other question, I would like to yes confirm what Claire just mentioned that is that we have decided to extend the closure of the Paladin assume for one additional week, which brings the opening of the the full opening of the pallet to the Monday 15th.
Well, I think we've already have, we're not not announced yet, but there will be a few press conference that week.
There will be more conferences.
But as we have said to you in the note correspondent already next week some of the conferences will resume, which means that Building E will be open and you will have full access to your office and to the Barset Pon and to the Building E while of course, the rest of the parlour will be will be closed.
This is what I had for you.
Very short briefing if there isn't OK, Catherine has a question.
First of all, good morning, Alessandra and happy New Year to you.
Wishing you a very good 2024 New Year.
My question is related to WHOI see that Christian Lepia is connected and I'd like to ask Christian if he has in any info on COVID cases that we had tendency to forget that, but apparently there are the number of cases are raising a bit everywhere in the world.
So indeed, I think we've all experienced some friends or or family who are being sick with COVID during the holidays.
So Christian, do you have a possibility to give us an update on that?
Yeah, thank you and good morning to everybody.
And yes, Happy New Year and hopefully a way more peaceful year than what we experienced last year.
And you're right, the we all know about colleagues and friends who have come down with COVID in the last weeks and months.
So indeed, COVID isn't making sure that we do not forget about it.
So globally the new cases increased by 52% during only the four weeks from 20N to 17 December.
That's the latest update we have so far the monthly update for for until end of December basically.
So in that time again 50 percent, 52% increase and as compared to the 28 days.
Before that and that comes down to 850,000 new cases reported globally.
The number of new deaths also increased by 8% during that.
As to the previous period with yeah, the absolute numbers are difficult there, but 3000 new fatalities reported and maybe important as a as a general number, you may have seen the this new fairly new variant of concern of interest, sorry to be precise at the variant of interest, the so-called JN .1.
So this is right now it's part of the Omicron variant sub lineage of this one.
And as of 18 December, this has been put on the on the the designation of variant of interest and has some special monitoring now.
So indeed the the situation is ongoing.
There's a new update also not so new where the latest update is from end of December and we're expecting a new IP update soon and next year looking forward to a more comprehensive briefing in one of the next days or hopefully next week already.
Petrine, you have a follow up.
Good morning, Christian and thank you.
Could you please share with us the latest report that has been issued in in December?
And I suppose that the figures that you just shared with us are global.
And could you give us also a small note about that new variant of interests, that Omicron variant and, and if you have some more details regarding the regions, because apparently there is a **** raise of cases in United States of America and in some parts of Europe, but what about the other parts of the world?
Is it possible to have a more detailed report, global report?
So indeed I'll put the maybe now for the for the quick note here as we're anywhere all virtual, I'll put the link to that the update from 22 December into the chat.
And I'll also put the the dashboard link into the chat before we close the meeting.
So you have access to it which the dashboard has the whole breakdown for regional.
And yes, to your point, the, the, the figures given were global figures.
So others are asking now in the chat also for for figures.
Yes, you'll see the figures that I mentioned in the global update that I'll put into the link.
Maybe that helps best because I agree and there are these are too many figures maybe in a quick rundown, but you'll see them.
Yeah, yeah, Christian is actually saying the same thing.
If you can put the figure just mentioned in writing.
And also she says not many countries report anymore if if she understands correctly.
So what is the real, real number by WHS estimates?
And as the report says, also new cases reported.
But you know that all throughout the world, and you've seen it in, in many of your own countries, the reporting has dropped, the, the surveillance centres have dropped, the vaccination centres have dropped, have been dismantled as well are shut down.
And, and, and so this of course leads to a a incomplete picture and we should expect unfortunately more cases that than we have officially reported.
Yeah, but again, I noticed the interest already throughout the week at the increase.
So we are actively working on giving you a more comprehensive briefing in one of the next upcoming days, whether it's a stand alone briefing or one of the DG briefings.
For example, next week on Wednesday we're scheduling another briefing by DG Tedros.
So that might be the way to get a more comprehensive update if we don't do it before.
And maybe Christian also on the flu.
I, I thought I read a question about an update on the flu.
I don't know if there is any, don't know who, maybe it was by e-mail.
I don't know if you have anything on the flu or you will have same on exactly the same on this one.
We contacted, I contacted yesterday our Europe colleagues because this is a concern right now, especially in the European region.
Well, I was hoping to get something actually for this morning that would have been, would have been my active briefing then.
But at least we'll have something as as soon as possible because yes, very much noted.
It's a, it's a matter of concern these days.
And Catherine is asking whether you would have now, I guess, any detailed information on the variant?
Yeah, that is, that is in the in the written part that I just sent the link to.
There's the in the update, there's a summary where you have a very quick info and there's a, there's a longer part, of course, with all the the the examples and the descriptions of it.
And I'll share the on top of it now the the dashboard.
Thank you very much, Christian.
Yes, please keep us, keep them, keep us informed as soon as possible on both issues.
Any other question to Christian Don't see any.
She has another follow up.
Maybe that was a hint for the let me see there's a question.
It was just for Christian to precise the the briefing with Doctor Pedros is planned for Wednesday 10th.
Is that correct, Christian?
Right now, it's scheduled for the usual time of 3:00 afternoon, 1500 hours.
OK, thank you so much and you're confirmed.
I think this brings us to the end of the briefing.
Of course, as I said, because of the closure of the parley, the next two briefings will also be fully virtual on the 10th.
So we will be continuing on this in this format and we'll keep you of course updated in writing if there was any change.
Just wanted to say something about the access to the pallet because this one of your colleagues asked.
The difference next week is that the access will be all open as normal As for normal times.
So you can access the parlet through all the the usual entrances.
It will not be limited to Penny as it was in the last two weeks.
So thank you very much to you all.
Have a nice weekend and we'll see you on Tuesday.
