Making more effective investments to eliminate hunger

“A world without hunger is possible   – What must be done” was the title of the virtual event organized by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in the run-up to the World Food Day. With the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development in mind, the event presented the results of the Ceres2030 study and the Center for Development Research (ZEF)-FAO report “Investment costs and policy action opportunities for reaching a world without hunger (SDG 2)” with the aim of providing specific recommendations to policy makers to achieve zero hunger by 2030. High-level European Union representatives, UN officials, a Nobel laureate, scientists, private sector representatives and policymakers participated in the event.  

The German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gerd Müller,  underscored that political determination and action are essential to achieve zero hunger by 2030. During a panel discussion, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero emphasized that the fight against hunger and malnutrition needs to be a country-owned and country-led process, and interventions should be catalytic, targeted and based on precise data.  While the Special UN Envoy for the UN Food Systems Summit, Agnes Kalibata, also took part in the event and highlighted the value of “inter-sectoral coordination and a combination of public and private funding that can play a significant role in helping deliver real change.”

Closing the event, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, stressed that “financial resources are not the problem in achieving zero hunger but rather deficit of human will” and stated that having a long-term strategy for more sustainable and equitable food systems would be pivotal in achieving the SDGs.