Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty was officially launched at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). It aims to accelerate efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty while promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
1. The Alliance, established over the course of a year through extensive dialogues, brings together developed nations, NGOs, and financial institutions to provide financial support and expertise to countries in need. The goal is to eliminate all nations from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) hunger map by 2030.
2. It consists of 148 members. This includes 82 countries, the African Union, the European Union, 24 international organizations, 9 international financial institutions, and 31 philanthropic and non-governmental organizations.
3. Notably, the Alliance has been open to membership even for countries that are not part of the G20 since July 2024. Brazil and Bangladesh were the first to join, followed by all G20 members and several countries and entities from all continents.
4. The Alliance will serve as an independent platform aimed at eradicating hunger and poverty by the year 2030. It is fundamentally based on three key pillars:
(i) National – Coordination of specific public policies.
(ii) Knowledge – Integration of data and technologies for evidence-based solutions.
(iii) Financial – Large-scale resource mobilization.
5. Strategic commitments were announced at the G20 Summit last week, such as: Reach 500 million people being part of income distribution programs by 2030; Expand school meals to 150 million children in countries with high child hunger rates; Mobilize billions of dollars through multilateral banks for effective anti-poverty programs.
6. The alliance’s technical headquarters will be at FAO headquarters in Rome, with functional autonomy. The Alliance also plans to hold regular Summits Against Hunger and Poverty and establish a High-Level Champions Council to oversee its activities.
Hunger and Poverty
What is Hunger?
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines hunger as food deprivation, or undernourishment, as the habitual consumption of too few calories to provide the minimum dietary energy an individual requires to live a healthy and productive life, given that person’s sex, age, stature, and physical activity level.
What is Poverty?
According to the World Bank, poverty is “pronounced deprivation in well-being”. The poor are those who do not have enough income or consumption to put them above some adequate minimum threshold. It is not only about the absence of financial resources but also the deprivation of various dimensions of life.
Global Hunger Index
1. The GHI is published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe annually to measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
2. GHI is calculated based on a formula combining four indicators that capture the multidimensional nature of hunger: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality.
3. India is ranked 105th among 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024, indicating a ‘serious’ level of hunger, along with Afghanistan and Pakistan, which also face hunger challenges. Notably, India’s GHI score of 27.3 is a cause for concern, especially when compared to its South Asian neighbours like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, which fall into the “moderate” category
4. According to the GHI released on 10th October 2024, the hunger levels in 42 countries are at alarming levels, making the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 unattainable. At this pace of progress, the world will not even attain a low hunger level until 2160. The world’s GHI score is 18.3, which is considered moderate in the severity of hunger scale.
5. Six countries – Somalia, Yemen, Chad, Madagascar, Burundi, and South Sudan- have levels of hunger considered alarming. This is the result of widespread human misery, undernourishment, and malnutrition.
Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
1. India, with 234 million people living in poverty, is among the countries with the largest number of extreme poor, according to the latest Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report. The report also found that 1.1 billion out of the 6.3 billion people in 112 countries live in acute poverty worldwide.
2. The 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Index was published on 17th October on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme. It was first launched in 2010.
3. It aims to push forward the goal of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)- 1— ending poverty in all its forms everywhere —and measures interconnected deprivations across indicators related to SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 11.
4. The Global MPI uses 10 indicators covering three main areas: (i) health, (ii) education, and (iii) standard of living. These three dimensions have one-third weight each in the final index.
Group of Twenty
1. The G20, or the Group of Twenty, is an informal grouping of 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States) and the European Union and African Union.
2. Notably, the African Union, a grouping that represents 55 countries, was admitted as a new member of the G20 in June 2023.
3. These members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. As a forum for international economic cooperation, it plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.
4. Unlike the United Nations (UN), G20 does not have a permanent secretariat or staff. Rather, the G20 presidency rotates annually among the members and is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda, organising its workings and hosting summits.
5. The presidency is supported by the “troika” – previous, current and incoming presidencies.
Source: Indian Express