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Climate change

Global Leaders Unite to Address Food Security Crisis

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Global food security has become a pressing concern with over 765 million people worldwide struggling with hunger. In response, leaders from Spain, the US, the African Union, the EU, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, and Nigeria co-hosted the Leaders' Summit on Global Food Security on September 20, 2022, to identify sustainable solutions and strengthen agricultural resilience. The summit emphasized the need for international cooperation, humanitarian aid, and coordinated action to address the crisis.

Key Takeaways:

  • The summit recognized the urgency of the global food security crisis, exacerbated by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, high energy and fertilizer prices, and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.
  • The leaders committed to strengthening international cooperation and partnerships between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations, as well as civil society organizations (CSOs), to respond to the crisis.
  • The summit highlighted the importance of making new, additional financial donations to key humanitarian organizations, providing in-kind donations, and supporting efforts to increase fertilizer production and accelerate agricultural innovation.
  • Leaders also agreed to keep food, fertilizer, and agricultural markets open, avoid unjustified restrictive measures, and increase investments in research and technology to develop climate-resilient agricultural innovations.
  • The summit built on previous initiatives, including the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, the Roadmap for Global Food Security -- Call to Action, and the outcomes of the June 2022 G7 Summit.
  • The African Union, the EU, and the US pledged to work together to address the global food security crisis, with the AU committing to provide support to African countries affected by the crisis.
  • The summit participants emphasized the need for sustained urgency and coordination to respond to immediate humanitarian needs and build more resilient agriculture and food systems.

Statistics:

  • Over 765 million people worldwide went chronically hungry in 2021 (Source: The Road from Exclusion to Inclusion: An Agenda for Universal Social Protection, Brazelton, R. P., & Griffiths, J. [year not specified]).
  • The Leaders' Summit on Global Food Security recognized the need to strengthen international cooperation and partnerships to respond to the global food security crisis (Source: Declaration of Leaders' Summit on Global Food Security).
  • The summit participants agreed to make new, additional financial donations to key humanitarian organizations, with no specific amount mentioned.
  • The US, the African Union, the EU, and other participating countries committed to investing in research and technology to develop climate-resilient agricultural innovations, with no specific amount or timeframe mentioned.

Sources:

  • [Declaration of Leaders' Summit on Global Food Security] (no date provided)
  • [US State Department Release] (no date provided)
  • The Road from Exclusion to Inclusion: An Agenda for Universal Social Protection, Brazelton, R. P., & Griffiths, J. (year not specified)

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