Rio de Janeiro: G20 leaders, on Monday, inaugurated a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, during the opening session of the 19th Heads of State and Government Summit of the Group of 20 (G20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The alliance signed by all member countries empowers a Task Force to implement practical activities between 2025 and 2030 to accelerate the elimination of hunger and reduction of poverty.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, President Luiz Lula da Silva of Brazil said the alliance, which was pre-launched in July, already had the support of more than 80 countries, in addition to dozens of government and civil society organizations. He stated that the goal of the global alliance was to gather funds and knowledge towards the implementation of public policies and social technologies, which have proven effective in reducing global hunger and poverty.
He added that throughout the first half of Brazil’s G20 presidency, discussions were held with G20 countries and other key partners to prese
nt the operation, its pillars, and the general lines of governance. President Da Silva emphasized the importance of the initiative, highlighting Brazil’s intention to reposition itself as an international leader on this issue, showcasing the successful Brazilian experience with the Zero Hunger and Bolsa Família programs. Both programs were launched by Lula during his first presidency between 2003 and 2010.
The President noted that ending hunger is also one of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations for 2030. He explained that UN institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have also addressed these issues, but he stressed that a new initiative was necessary to accelerate investments.
Quoting Brazilian physician and nutritionist Josué de Castro, Da Silva stated that ‘hunger and poverty are not the result of scarcity, but a biological expression of social ills.’ He highlighted that the world produced almost 6 billion tons of
food each year while spending 2.4 trillion dollars on military spending. International financial institutions and national development banks have also joined the initiative, with the Inter-American Development Bank proposing to allocate 25 billion dollars to loans in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The alliance will be autonomous from the rotating presidencies of the G20 and will be operated from Brasília, within the Brazilian Cooperation Agency, and from Rome, within the FAO. According to Da Silva, the world is now worse than it was in 2008, when the G20 took a leading role in facing the global economic crisis. He mentioned the number of armed conflicts around the world, the climate emergency, social inequalities, and the fact that there were 733 million people going hungry in the world. The President invited countries outside the G20 to join the alliance, emphasizing that those who have always been invisible will be at the center of the international agenda.