The World Food Prize Laureates in an open letter to U.S President Joe Biden appeals to the leadership of the United States to help end hunger in the world.
Food Prize Laureates across the globe noted that even though some of them are not Americans, they have all recognized that at this time, the leadership of the United States (U.S.) is pivotal to achieving the global goals on food.
The Food Prize Laureates indicated that even in the pre-COVID-19 era, hunger was on the rise, and climate emissions, in part driven by the food system were not on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets.
According to them, while the world reduced absolute poverty from 2 billion people in 1990 to 800 million people before the pandemic, the UN Development Programme approximates “COVID-19 could push the number of people living in extreme poverty to over 1 billion by 2030.”
They further indicated in the letter that “in a world rattled by COVID-19, now is the time for audacious ambition as we envision what the world could look like in 2030, the year the Sustainable Development Goals should be met. Let us imagine a world in which everyone is well-nourished and no one goes to bed hungry. How do we get there?
“First, cast a wide-angle lens on our food systems that produce, distribute, process, market, and prepare food. Food systems intertwine hunger nutrition, food safety, biodiversity, resource use, climate emissions, jobs, and livelihoods, as well as the resilience of families, communities, and economies. We know that improvements in food systems create huge benefits in all of these critical areas.
“Second, strengthen and leverage our alliances to raise ambitions and find game changers for food. The COVID era is teaching us that the unimaginable is attainable, the unthinkable is doable: vaccines in under a year; unprecedented economic relief packages; doing global business from home; digitized commerce even in the most fragile settings; unprecedented community solidarity; and increasing the number of people in food safety net programs from 0.6 billion to 2 billion. The returns for imagination and boldness have never been greater.
“Third, provide leadership for high impact. In September 2021, the UN Secretary-General will lead a Food Systems Summit to mobilize global action on hunger. The Summit involves civil society, business, and development agencies—every one—to work with governments. It is the People’s Summit, and its aim is action, not a declaration. In addition, the UN named 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables to catalyze action on nutrition and health. The Nutrition for Growth Summit will be hosted in Tokyo in December this year to address deepening food insecurity and malnutrition globally and the impacts of COVID-19 on donor aid and nutrition targets”.
They further noted that improving all of the elements of food systems simultaneously tackles the great challenges of our time: economic instability, climate change, overwhelmed health systems, strained environmental systems, and inequalities that leave families vulnerable.
“The opportunity for renewed U.S. leadership to transform food systems has never been greater. The appetite of partners around the world to work with the U.S. in both the public and private sectors is strong.
“We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to seize this moment and invest in development and cooperation to achieve zero hunger by 2030. American leadership on getting food systems right will inspire and embolden others to join forces to end hunger, counter climate change, generate jobs, and promote responsible stewardship of the environment”.
The Food Laureates further noted that evidence suggests that increased investment in food security is in the U.S.’s interest. They pointed out that supporting economic growth globally leads to increased trade for American entities, increases stability in conflict areas, builds bonds of solidarity and trust that are the bedrock of diplomacy, and alleviates the suffering of the most vulnerable. These outcomes reflect long-held, treasured American values and offer opportunities to realize global aspirations.
In 2009, post-financial crisis and as a result of the L’Aquila Declaration, the U.S. announced the $3.5 billion Feed the Future Initiative with bipartisan support, helping to reverse decades-long declines in funding for food and agriculture around the world. according to them, this American investment prompted collective global investments of $22 billion and triggered progress for hundreds of millions.
Based on the recent Ceres2030 report, “we could end global hunger by 2030 with an extra annual investment of $33 billion, a small fraction of the world’s COVID mitigation investment”.
The Group believes that such an agenda will help the U.S. and the rest of the world achieve the four-way win so desperately needed on climate, health, jobs, and hunger.
“As the world staggers out of COVID and into the light of 2021, we seek to illuminate our collective path towards 2030. We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to focus on the promise to Build Back Better in transforming our food systems. U.S. leadership in ending global hunger is imperative and must be backed by bold actions and your commitment for the U.S. to engage in major global initiatives. Nothing is more important than ending global hunger and malnutrition”.
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