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At the invitation of Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and in collaboration with Dr Bärbel Kofler, the Parliamentary Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung – BMZ), experts from politics and civil society discussed sustainable and more effective options for action by the G7 countries to fight hunger in the run-up to the G7 Summit in Elmau, Germany.
Seven years after the G7 countries pledged to lift 500 million people out of hunger by 2030, representatives of the Group of Seven will meet again in Elmau this June under the German Presidency. Since this voluntary commitment in 2015, however, the number of people suffering from starvation has risen continuously – most recently to as many as 811 million. A fatal combination of effects from the climate crisis, the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and increasingly frequent as well as violent conflicts is jeopardising the achievement of the UN goal ‘Zero Hunger by 2030’. It is also massively impacted by the war in Ukraine, which is already affecting food prices. While the cost of food was already increasing, the war will certainly put even more pressure on the global food situation.
In order to discuss sustainable and effective options for action by the G7 to combat hunger in light of current developments, Welthungerhilfe invited high-ranking representatives from politics and civil society to a constructive online discussion in the run-up to the G7 Summit. Asja Hanano, head of the policy department at Welthungerhilfe, welcomed more than 250 development policy experts from international and national non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, international embassies and German ministries in her welcome speech..
According to Dr Bärbel Kofler, the Parliamentary Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung – BMZ), the fact that more than 800 million people structurally suffer from chronic hunger gives rise to two primary areas of responsibility for the BMZ. In the short term, the ministry can make a financial contribution to assist in reducing the acute food crisis. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently announced a EUR 430 million humanitarian aid package, which will also be used for food security in the wake of the Ukraine war. It sends a strong signal from the German G7 Presidency. The German Federal Government hereby calls on the global community to participate accordingly and to provide the necessary financial resources to deal with the consequences of the Ukraine war on food security. In the long term, however, it is also important to establish food and healthcare systems that are better equipped to absorb shocks and thus protect people permanently from the consequences of various crises.
Dr Stefanos Fotiou, Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), also emphasises that a transformation of food systems is indispensable for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Despite all the criticism, the UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS)* has substantially contributed to broadly redefining how people think about this issue by shifting the fixation on agricultural yield increases towards a holistic view of food systems.
The UN FSS has also reiterated that the political dimension of the fight against hunger is crucial to success, says Mathias Mogge, Secretary General of Welthungerhilfe.
The G7 and G20 countries as well as the nations affected by hunger must clearly define their political priorities on fighting hunger and poverty.
Inadequate or insufficiently long political reforms as well as the growing number of inter- and intra-state conflicts are among the main reasons why the G7 countries’ voluntary commitment in Elmau in 2015 (to lift half a billion people out of hunger by 2030) has not yet been fulfilled.
The Russian attack on Ukraine leads to a dramatic situation in the project countries of Welthungerhilfe, according to Mathias Mogge. They mostly affect people who already faced overlapping crises before the Russian attack on Ukraine and had to spend a large part of their income on food – often as high as 70–80%. With regard to the increased fertiliser prices, industrialised countries in particular are called upon to reduce the use of mineral fertilisers and to resolutely promote more environmentally friendly agriculture.
A specific example for the discussion is the situation in Kenya, which is dependent on grain imports. The increased food prices are currently coinciding with an extreme drought in the northern region, which is leading to a precarious food situation in a state where 3 million people (6% of the population) are already suffering from starvation. This drought is causing livestock deaths and a shortage in milk production: Consequently, farmers and smallholders are deprived of basic food, resulting in conflicts over cattle theft in the border regions, reports Nerima Wako‑Ojiwa, CEO of Siasa Place, Kenya.
As Secretary of State Dr Kofler pointed out, the accumulation of conflicts has brought the issue of hunger more into focus
Both, the global community and the individual nation states, need to increase their efforts at the political, but also practical level to do something about the rising number of starving people.
The G7 countries’ voluntary commitment to lift 500 million people out of hunger by 2030 must be fulfilled. Above all, this also requires unity among all the stakeholders involved, which must be backed up with appropriate expertise and the necessary financial resources, emphasises Dr Bärbel Kofler. A human rights-based approach is essential. People need to be informed about their rights so they can actively demand policy changes and adequately participate in the relevant complex discussions. Human rights must be solidified in a binding legal framework at national level, for example through supply chain laws or a corresponding European directive.
For young people in rural areas to be able to fully utilise their innovative resourcefulness and demand accountability from the government, they must be encouraged to take on a pioneering role, explains Nerima Wako‑Ojiwa. However, the example of Kenya shows that the political education of young people is often left entirely to civil society and that corresponding financial resources are utterly inadequate. Tackling crises requires a determined attitude and additional resources that need to be invested in a coordinated and science-based manner. The G7 are therefore called upon to engage emphatically in discussions on the implementation of national pathways in the wake of the UN FSS, says Dr Stefanos Fotiou. Guest commentator Dr Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), calls on G7 countries to join the newly formed Zero Hunger Coalition in the aftermath of the UN FSS to promote food systems transformation.
Only a broad alliance of civil society and international organisations, nation states, academia and the private sector can fight hunger with all its might, adds Mathias Mogge.
The joint task of ‘transforming food systems’ can only succeed with strong partnerships, which requires a clear indication of long-term commitment from the G7 countries as well.
More information on the assessment of the current food price crisis can be found in the policy brief ‘Price Hikes are Aggravating Hunger’.
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* Hoffmann, H, Hanano, A. & Klaus, L.M. (2021): Towards a paradigm shift in the global food system. Link here.
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