MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil moves forward with food security initiative

The key is to redirect the financial resources and knowledge to where they are most needed, Minister Dias explained

The Brazilian government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva brought this week its initiative to create a global alliance to combat hunger and poverty through the promotion of food security strategies and boosting people's income to a United Nations panel in New York, Agencia Brasil reported.

At the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations, the Brazilian team mooted the creation of a global alliance to combat hunger and poverty. The goal is to pool knowledge, finances, and partnerships to enhance efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Established by the UN in 2015, the SDGs aim to implement public policies to guide humanity through 2030.

According to Brazil's Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family, and Fight against Hunger, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty “is one of Brazil's main initiatives as a member of the G20 [group of the world's 20 largest economies].”

Minister Wellington Dias stated that the planned actions include promoting food security, increasing income, and addressing inequalities. “The reality we are facing, with multiple crises—including climate and environmental crises, economic instability, and conflicts—is causing a resurgence of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty. Addressing this complex challenge requires numerous strategies and actions,” he said.

“We don’t aim to create a new international forum to debate what needs to be done and exchange experiences, as there are already many legitimate multilateral forums for this purpose,” he added.

He also noted that the proposal's guidelines were aimed at mobilizing financial resources and knowledge to direct them where they are most needed.

The minister also pointed out that this alliance would be entrusted to a G20 task force, which is already working on creating a ”basket of public policies that will compile decades of expertise in income transfer programs, social protection, school feeding, among others, based on the experiences of various countries and international organizations.”