To make real progress in eradicating hunger, the global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing inequality must be addressed.
New food systems play a central role in tackling these interconnected challenges, argued Secretary-General António Guterres at the opening of the UN Food Summit in New York.
The reality is that hunger and malnutrition are the result of policy failures by governments, rather than food scarcity. Climate change and biodiversity loss are causes of hunger.
Shockingly, about one in three people worldwide, or 2.37 billion men, women, and children, lacked access to adequate food in 2020, an increase of approximately 320 million people in one year.
Reforming global food systems is complex, said Guterres, but it is crucial for both people and the planet. This urgently needed reform was the reason for convening the food conference.
The Summit takes place today and coincides with the UN’s General (annual) Assembly in New York. What is at stake during this crucial gathering has been the subject of increasing controversy for months among various countries and organizations.
A leaked 'common position' from the African Union advocates large-scale industrialization of African agriculture, based on ideas from the Green Revolution. According to critics, this is not sustainable or environmentally friendly enough. Currently, the vast majority of African food producers are farmers and small-scale farmers – especially many women.
About 42 companies have pledged a promising $345 million to contribute to ending global hunger as part of a new initiative led by major international organizations.
“Today, one in ten people go to bed hungry and millions stand on the brink of starvation. This is happening in a world that has enough food to feed everyone, everywhere. It is time to end this suffering,” says David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP).
Although this financial investment must mainly come from governments, public spending will not be sufficient. That is why the UNFSS has come up with a groundbreaking solution to mobilize more private sector investments as a catalyst to prevent famine.