The second of the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals is creating a world free of hunger by 2030. Reaching this goal is not only necessary, but also achievable, according to UN Secretary General António Guterres. Nonetheless, the path to zero hunger is uncertain and narrow.
Despite years of gradual improvement, the hunger crisis has been escalating since 2015. By 2023, some 733 million people were experiencing chronic hunger, according to the U.N.
In her role as U.S. Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has made galvanizing global action to combat food insecurity one of her key priorities.
“Every human being, everywhere, has the right to food. This is reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights.”
Stating that for the United States, eliminating hunger is a moral issue as well an issue of economic and national security, she noted that from day one, the Biden-Harris administration was determined to make a difference.
“Over the past four years, we have invested more than $20 billion dollars to fight hunger all across the world. And this month, while in Angola, President Biden announced the United States is providing more than $1 billion dollars in additional humanitarian assistance to address food insecurity and other urgent needs of refugees in 31 African countries.”
At the same time, the United States made food insecurity a focus of all four of its Security Council presidencies, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“We rallied a coalition of nearly 100 countries to condemn the use of food as a weapon of war. We helped generate new commitments from over 100 countries to expand agricultural capacity and respond to famine crises through a Roadmap for Global Food Security Call to Action.”
“And we spearheaded efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, mobilizing more than $150 billion dollars in U.S. funding to tackle poverty, hunger, and disease worldwide.”
That said, “Clearly, we have not yet put an end to the violence of hunger, and the hunger caused by violence,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“I remain hopeful because a new generation of leaders will come after me – a generation that has the determination, the tools – old and new – to end hunger and to end conflict.”
“I have no doubt they will continue to push this critical work forward, as we move heaven and earth to achieve zero hunger.”
