TO “wound that shames humanity.” In these terms, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, called to eradicate hunger in the world, on Monday, November 18, at the opening of the G20 summit that he presides in Rio de Janeiro. The main diplomatic initiative of this summit, enthusiastically defended by the Brazilian head of state, the “global alliance against hunger and poverty”, was launched unanimously by the member countries of the G20.
Its ambition goes beyond the framework of the twenty main economic powers in the world: eighty-two countries have joined the alliance, twenty international organizations – including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) , which will host the secretariat of this initiative in Rome, and the World Food Program (WFP), several financial institutions, foundations and NGOs.
Brazil’s efforts to place the fight against hunger at the top of the diplomatic agenda have been widely praised and recognized. Global food insecurity has not decreased for years and remains at a very high level, while its eradication is at the top of the internationally adopted sustainable development goals for 2030. In 2023, more than 9% of the world’s population suffered from hunger, according to the latest data on food insecurity from the United Nations. In total, 733.4 million people suffer from chronic malnutrition worldwide, 36% more than ten years ago.
Structural causes
Address the structural causes of world hunger, such as social and gender inequalities, or the consequences of global warming, It therefore seems crucial, at a time when many states are losing interest in long-term development issues and several countries, particularly in Europe, are cutting their aid budgets. France, in particular, is at risk of retreating significantly, with a drop of a third in appropriations allocated to development aid, according to its draft 2025 budget, the hardest hit of all budget lines.
In contrast, US President Joe Biden announced on Monday a contribution of $4 billion from the United States over three years to a World Bank fund that supports the poorest countries. This aid, however, does not compromise the future government of Donald Trump.
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