The existence of hunger is a political choice

"Hunger is neither a natural condition of humankind nor an unavoidable tragedy: it is the result of choices made by governments and economic systems that have chosen to turn a blind eye to inequalities or even of promoting them. The same global order that denies 673 million people access to adequate food also enables a privileged group of just 3,000 billionaires to hold 14.6 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP)."

"In 2024, the wealthiest nations helped drive the largest surge in military spending since the end of the Cold War, reaching $2.7 trillion that year. Yet they failed to deliver on their own commitment: to invest 0.7 percent of their GDP in concrete actions to promote development in poorer countries. Today, we see situations not unlike those that prevailed 80 years ago, when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was created."

"Unlike then, however, we are not only witnessing the tragedies of war and hunger feeding into each other, but also facing the urgent climate crisis. And the international order established to address the challenges of 1945 is no longer sufficient to address today's problems. Global governance mechanisms must be reformed. We need to strengthen multilateralism, create investment flows that promote sustainable development, and ensure that states have the capacity to implement consistent public policies to fight hunger and poverty."

States can and must act to end hunger through public policy, multilateral reform, and tax justice. Hunger results from governmental and economic choices that ignore or promote inequalities, while a small group of billionaires control a disproportionate share of global GDP. Wealthy nations increased military spending to $2.7 trillion in 2024 and failed to meet commitments to invest 0.7 percent of GDP in development. The international order established in 1945 is insufficient; global governance mechanisms must be reformed. Investment flows should promote sustainable development, poor people must be included in public budgets, and the superrich should be taxed to fund anti-poverty measures.

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