A global coalition meets in Doha to confront the hunger crisis

In her speech before heads of state, ministers and international partners, Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly, said that the hunger crisis in our world today is not the result of scarcity, but rather the product of inequality, conflict, and political choices.

Last year, more than 670 million people suffered from hunger, and 2.3 billion people faced moderate or severe food insecurity. She said: “This means billions of people wondering where their next meal will come from. Parents having to watch their children go to bed hungry.” This is happening in a world that wastes more than a billion meals every day.

“The hunger crisis is not a food shortage. It is entirely preventable,” the General Assembly President added, noting failures in the areas of access, affordability and social protection.

The meeting was held as Doha hosts the second World Summit for Social Development, where nearly 14,000 participants will discuss how to strengthen social systems, expand opportunities, and reduce inequality.

As the planet heats up, hunger is spreading

Ms. Baerbock highlighted climate change as an accelerating driver of hunger. She recalled a recent visit to the Sahel region, in which she described fertile lands turning to dust as temperatures rose and rainy seasons failed. She said: “This is the new front line of food insecurity.”

It warned that if global warming continues unchecked, up to 1.8 billion additional people could face food insecurity. But limiting warming to 1.5°C, supported by investments in adaptation and resilience, could prevent millions from sinking deeper into poverty.

Launched under the Brazilian G20 presidency in 2024, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty now includes nearly 200 members — more than 100 countries, regional organizations, international agencies and civil society groups.

Monday’s meeting was his first at the leaders’ level, and aims to accelerate practical cooperation, from expanding social protection to promoting climate-resilient agriculture.

Berbock said: “In a world where good things exist — and where there should be enough for everyone — ensuring that everyone, everywhere has enough to eat is entirely possible.”

She concluded by saying: “A world free of hunger and poverty is not an unattainable aspiration. It is within our reach, if we work together to achieve it.”

The World Food Program innovates solutions to fight hunger

In an interview with United Nations News, Rania Dagache-Camara, Assistant Executive Director of the World Food Programme, said that the programme It helped about 124 million people around the world in 2024, especially in war zones and those fragile areas where people are most in need.

She explained that about 300 million people are currently affected by hunger. She went on to say: “At the World Food Program, we help with school feeding programs. Currently, there are more than 400 million children in the world who receive school meals, which helps them understand lessons and continue studying, especially for girls. These school meals represent the backbone of the fight against hunger.”

The UN official said that the discussion at the Second World Summit for Social Development will focus on: About solutions and ideas to solve big problems such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality. She said: “We are trying different methods to fight hunger so that we can reach the largest group of people in need.”

She pointed out that the World Food Program seeks to build social protection systems with governments in more than 63 countries to reduce fragility in many regions.

At the end of her speech, she sent a message in which she said:Every individual, every company and every government has a role in reducing world hunger and poverty. They talked about hunger because it is a huge problem that affects millions of people. Support governments so they can build systems that reduce fragility in the world.”

UN news on the ground

The UN News team is on the ground in Doha, providing continuous, week-long coverage of the World Summit for Social Development, including live updates, interviews and analysis from the summit. Follow our coverage here.