Ministerial Meeting of the G20 Task Force for the Establishment of a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty
24 July 2024
[Delivered on behalf of the UN Secretary-General]
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a privilege to deliver this statement on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.
As you heard earlier from his video message, the United Nations welcomes the establishment of the Global Alliance on Hunger and Poverty as a key means to move the needle forward on the Sustainable Development Goals.
As President Lula has emphasized, poverty and hunger are not natural or inevitable. It is not a lack of effort that condemns people to poverty and hunger, but rather economic systems that fail to provide them with a living income to cover their basic needs. Therefore, fighting poverty and hunger is as much about social protection and social programs as it is about transforming the underlying structures that perpetuate inequality.
Today, almost 700 million people still live in extreme poverty; without a substantial acceleration in poverty reduction, fewer than three in 10 countries are expected to halve national poverty by 2030. And in the middle of the 21st century, remarkably, still nearly 1 in 10 people face hunger across the globe, every single day.
Yet, we are seeing how multilateralism -- the primary means to effectively address such acute challenges -- is under immense strain.
Therefore, this Global Alliance Against Poverty and Hunger carries a message of hope that reverberates not only to the millions of people who endure hunger each night, but also to a world yearning for unity and collaboration in the face of shared challenges.
The United Nations is committed to using its network of UN Country Teams to support national governments to advance the objectives of the Global Alliance and today we will hear those commitments from the UN agencies directly.
For UNCTAD, this includes helping nations leapfrog their development through economic diversification and trade; as well as helping diplomatic efforts, such as the Istanbul Agreements, to ensure that life-giving food and fertilizer corridors do not close in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
Because trade, your excellencies, is not merely a transaction; it is a lifeline. It takes a world to feed a world.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Perhaps the most successful story of humankind, and of development, is that of poverty reduction.
In 1950 – 1 in 2 people globally lived in extreme poverty. By 2022, even though the global population had risen to some eight billion people -- only one in ten people lived in extreme poverty.
Much of this success took place in the countries represented here in this room.
Therefore, it is indeed appropriate that the Global Alliance is an initiative born out of the G20 given that this group represents two-thirds of the world’s population and approximately 85% of the world’s economy.
Next year – thirty years after Copenhagen -- world leaders will gather at the UN Summit for Social Development. This provides a critical opportunity to recommit to the social agenda and demonstrate the impact of the Alliance. Next year the Secretary-General will also be convening the Food Systems Stocktake +4 where we will be able to assess our progress towards food systems transformation and zero hunger.
Through cooperation and partnership exemplified by the Global Alliance, we can continue to make history by ensuring that future generations can live in a world of dignity: free from poverty and hunger.
Thank you.
