“Now is the time to act to prevent more unnecessary suffering and invest to improve food security and nutrition, boost rural livelihoods, strengthen social protection systems, build resilience to food crises, and transform food systems to deliver healthy diets in an equitable and sustainable way.” –
Open Letter
25 September, NEW YORK CITY – 118 organisations from 38 countries call on world leaders in an Open Letter to support and join the Brazil-led G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty to address the catastrophic effects of an unprecedented global food crisis.
As world leaders descend on New York City to build a better present and safeguard the future, organisations from 38 countries working with the most vulnerable communities have banded together to raise awareness of and urge leaders to support the Global Alliance. Today’s launch of the Open Letter coincides with a side event to the UN General Assembly co-hosted by World Vision International, BRAC, Ação da Cidadania, the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, Hungry for Action and the Government of Brazil and will include remarks from the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina J. Mohammed, Brazil’s Minister of Social Development José Wellington Dias and First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, Ghanaian youth advocate Emmanuella, Norway’s Minister for International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Ação da Cidadania CEO Kiko Afonso, N4G Special Envoy Brieuc Pont and Spain’s Under-Secretary of State for International Development Anton Leis, among others.
The world faces an unabated food crisis that left 1 in 11 people hungry and levels of child malnutrition at their worst in generations. According to the Mid-Year Update of the Global Report on Food Crises, the number of people facing catastrophic food insecurity (IPC5) has more than doubled to 1.9 million people since 2023.
Due to a combination of conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes, persistent poverty and inequality, the world sees rising levels of poverty, hunger and malnutrition that far exceed current efforts and financing to tackle these global challenges by the 2030 Global Goals deadline.
Under the bold leadership of the G20 Brazilian Presidency, President Lula announced the formation of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty in July 2024, marking a pivotal opportunity to accelerate global efforts to achieve the Global Goals to end poverty, hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, SDG1 and SDG2. The initiative seeks to provide political leadership, enhance global partnerships, mobilise essential resources, as well as disseminate knowledge of successful policies and practices to combat hunger and poverty at the national level.
In an open letter to world leaders, signing organisations and advocates remind the world’s governments of their shared responsibility to deliver a future free of hunger, malnutrition and poverty:
“We believe that no child should ever go to bed hungry or be deprived of the essential nutrients needed for a healthy start in life. It’s our collective responsibility to prioritise and invest in sustainable solutions that ensure every child has access to nutritious food and the opportunity to thrive.” – Dana Buzducea, Vice-President for Global Advocacy and External Engagement, World Vision
“No child should have to face the pain of an empty stomach or be denied the opportunity to grow and learn because they don’t have access to nutritious food. Together, we can make a difference.” – WVI Youth Advocate Emmanuella from Ghana
“We thank Brazil for the bold vision put forward in the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty that will mobilise vital assistance and financing to countries at scale, responding to the growing global food crisis. World leaders must now seize this opportunity of a global plan to drive progress on SDG1 and SDG2 by joining the Global Alliance to reach its full potential.” – Paul Newnham, CEO of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub on behalf of Hungry for Action.
This letter comes ahead of the official launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty at the 18 – 19 November G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Commitments from G20 countries and beyond to the Global Alliance would support Brazil’s bold leadership and align the coordination, collaboration, financing and know-how needed to accelerate progress.
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View the open letter and signatories here.
About Hungry for Action
The Hungry for Action campaign is calling for both urgent humanitarian action as well as long-term systems change to save lives now, build resilience and secure the future. The global campaign brings together civil society organisations and campaigners from across the climate, nutrition, debt, food security and food systems communities, and aims to raise the global food crisis to the top of the agenda and to secure vital financial reforms to break the cycle of crises.
About World Vision
World Vision, a global humanitarian organisation guided by Christian values, is committed to empowering vulnerable populations, particularly children, to reach their full potential in a just and equitable world. In 2023, the World Vision launched the ENOUGH Campaign to combat child hunger and malnutrition in over 67 countries. Its goal is to create a world where every child has access to sufficient nourishing food and proper nutritional care to thrive. Over the past year, the campaign has been at the forefront of global efforts to eliminate child hunger and malnutrition.
