The Legacy of Pulses: #WorldPulsesDay

Thanks to the formidable leadership of Burkina Faso, the Second Committee of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted, by consensus, in November 2018 a draft resolution establishing 10 February as World Pulses Day (WPD). The establishment of this day will be a lasting legacy of the enormously successful 2016 International Year of Pulses. World Pulses Day is a new opportunity to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of eating pulses! Read the UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution here. World Pulses Day is meant to also reaffirm the contribution of pulses for sustainable agriculture and achieving the 2030 Agenda.

Emerging has been providing services to the Global Pulse Confederation since 2013, first to obtain the UN resolution to establish the International Year of Pulses, then on the implementation of the Year through a global campaign and last year to advocate for the establishment of World Pulses Day. Emerging is organizing for GPC a lunch celebration that will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York City on February 7th to celebrate World Pulses Day 2019. The lunch will be co-hosted by the Governments of Burkina Faso and Turkey and the FAO. It will kickoff this new annual celebration by convening diplomatic representatives and UN staff to a delicious pulse-based meal. The event is by invitation only.

The annual celebration of pulses will present a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness of the critical role they play in addressing the challenges of poverty, food security and nutrition. Pulses are the biggest source of protein for humans and, not only do they provide a vital source of proteins and amino acids for people globally, they also have nitrogen fixing properties which increase soil fertility, as well as other environmental benefits that align well with the Paris Accord. Pulses have a vital role to play in improving nutrition – both underweight and overweight – and tackling non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, pulses still remain underrepresented in global food systems, research, and national food policy. The World Pulses Day will therefore provide a recurring opportunity to highlight the numerous and exceptional nutritional virtues of pulses and stimulate investment in research on pulses and in their production and marketing.

Learn more about #WorldPulsesDay and the benefits of plant protein here.