Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus Calls for Action to End Hunger and Wars

Strategic Insights -

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus delivered a keynote speech at the 2025 World Food Forum, urging global leaders to end hunger and wars, and proposing six measures to transform the system and ensure global food security. Prof Yunus pointed out that while the world spends $2.7 trillion annually on military spending, only $2 billion is spent to end hunger. He called for breaking the hunger-conflict cycle, ensuring food access in conflict zones, and stopping wars.

Key Takeaways:

  • Prof Yunus proposed six measures to transform the system and ensure global food security: breaking the hunger-conflict cycle, fulfilling SDG finance commitments, taking climate action seriously, creating regional food banks, creating and supporting local entrepreneurs, and ending export bans.
  • The World Food Forum (WFF) is an open and inclusive global platform established by the Youth Committee of the FAO in 2021 to drive the transformation of agrifood systems through the power of youth, science, and innovation.
  • The 2025 World Food Forum, hosted by the FAO, began on October 10 and runs through October 17, with a focus on three pillars: Global Youth Action, Science and Innovation, and Hand-In-Hand Investment.
  • Prof Yunus emphasized the importance of creating a "Three-Zero World": A world with Zero Wealth Concentration to end Poverty; Zero Unemployment, by replacing it with entrepreneurship for all, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions.
  • Social business is the way forward, and creating social business funds is essential to support young entrepreneurs, women, farmers, agri-business creators, and technology developers.
  • Prof Yunus emphasized the need to empower young people to create jobs, rather than waiting for jobs, and to invest in youth to change the world.

Statistics:

  • $2.7 trillion: Annual military spending across the globe
  • $2 billion: Annual expenditure to end hunger (Source: Prof Yunus' speech)
  • 673 million: People who went hungry in 2024 (Source: Prof Yunus' speech)
  • 80 years: The number of years FAO has been in operation (Source: Dr. QU Dongyu's speech)
  • 2021: The year the Youth Committee of FAO established the World Food Forum (Source: WFF description)
  • 20 years: The time since today's young people have access to unprecedented technological advancements (Source: Prof Yunus' speech)

Sources:

  • Prof Yunus' speech at the 2025 World Food Forum
  • Dr. QU Dongyu's speech at the 2025 World Food Forum
  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) description
  • World Food Forum (WFF) description