Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

The G20 Leaders’ Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was headlined by the official launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (“the Alliance”).

About the Alliance:

• The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative crafted by the Brazilian Presidency of the G20.
• It aims to offer an ambitious and urgent platform for accelerating progress towards achieving the international pledges of eradicating poverty and hunger by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2) as well as to reduce inequalities (SDG 10).
• Any member country can access proven best practices from other members and identify potential partners willing to assist in the development of its own national model.
• Assistance may be in the form of technical expertise or financial support.
• The Alliance has identified an evidence-based policy basket, which comprises more than 50 policy instruments that member countries can avail support for.
  • Of particular importance are the six “Sprints 2030”, high-impact areas which will see target-oriented initiatives catering to the most vulnerable. These include:
    • school meals
    • cash transfers
    • smallholder and family farming support programs
    • socio-economic inclusion programs
    • integrated maternal and early childhood interventions
    • water access solutions
  • Funding:Unlike many initiatives, the Alliance does not boast an exclusive fund. Rather it envisions playing a matchmaking role, connecting countries in need with motivated donors and technical support. The $2-3 million required annually for its operations will come from member countries and institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, and the World Bank.
  • Participants: 81 countries (including India), 26 international organisations, 9 financial institutions, and 31 philanthropic foundations and non-governmental organisations have already joined the Alliance.
  • Headquarters: The Alliance may be headquartered in Brasilia, or some other Global South country. It will also likely have an office at the FAO headquarters in Rome.

What was the need of the alliance?

• In 2015, all 193 UN Member States adopted the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ which aimed to, among other things, end poverty and hunger, and achieve food security and improved nutrition by 2030.
• Pandemic:But the Covid-19pandemic led to significant reversals in the progress made towards these ends, as extreme poverty rose and nutrition standards fell, especially in the Global South.
• Global conflicts:The uneven economic recovery since, along with a rise in global conflicts, and the harmful impacts of climate change, have further weakened the fight against hunger and poverty.
• Climate change:Extreme weather events are having devastating effects on every corner of the planet. Social, racial, and gender inequalities are deepening in the wake of a pandemic that has claimed more than 15 million lives.
• Slow progress:As things stand, progress is too slow to meet the 2030 targets.
  • Current projections indicate that 622 million people will live below the extreme poverty line of $ 2.15 per day by 2030 — double the target level
  • If current trends persist, 582 million people will live in hunger by 2030, approximately the same number as in 2015”
• It is in this context that Brazil chose to launch the Alliance during its G20 presidency.