📋 Tender Overview
The World Without Hunger Conference began with a grand opening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This landmark event has been organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Government of Ethiopia and the African Union Commission, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The conference marks the beginning of a new and intensified stage of global action to end hunger once and for all. A new joint UNIDO-FAO study has been launched, outlining actionable solutions and concrete investment opportunities in support of ending hunger globally.
UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller: “A world without hunger is possible – and within reach! We have the technology and the knowledge to defeat hunger. But we need the political will and the necessary investments. Our new UNIDO-FAO study presents a lasting solution to the hunger crisis, especially in the face of population growth. It is crucial that we make long-term strategic investments without delay. With an additional annual investment of $50 billion over the next ten years in infrastructure, innovation and technology, and agribusiness, we can build a world where hunger is a thing of the past. But action must be taken now! With every year that passes, the effort required and associated costs increase exponentially.” The Director General continued: “UNIDO stands ready as partner in achieving this important goal. I am very pleased to announce the opening of the China–Africa–UNIDO Centre of Excellence here in Addis Ababa, which will drive sustainable industrialization, agricultural modernization, and skills development across Africa, using the latest technologies, AI, and renewable energy.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia: "In a crisis-prone world with a growing population, ensuring food security demands innovative solutions. We must adopt sustainable practices, advance modern farming, expand access to essential agricultural inputs, and address climate change to enhance productivity. However, ending world hunger is about more than just increasing food production; it requires us to tackle systemic issues such as poverty, inequality, and climate resilience in a holistic manner." The Prime Minister continued:” In Ethiopia, our focus on agricultural transformation and productivity over the past six years has allowed us to double our cultivated land, with promising outcomes driven by our emphasis on high-value industrial crops. By uniting global leaders, experts, and advocates to discuss innovative solutions and partnerships, I am hopeful that our collective efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all will bear fruit.”
Chairperson Moussa Faki, African Union Commission: “Africa is not on track to end hunger. Over 280 million Africans, representing over 20 percent of the continent’s population, are food insecure, and another 850 million people cannot afford a healthy diet. This is paradoxical, as 60 percent of the world’s unused arable land is here in Africa. We also have the youngest population and significant water reserves. Given all that, the situation is unacceptable. In fact, it is a crying shame, that with all these resources, Africa still cannot feed itself. This has to change! On our part, the African Union has led the development of a new 10-year Action Plan which aims to build resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for a healthy and prosperous Africa. We have learned from 20 years of experience that we must do more to improve the quality and pace of implementation on the ground. It is critical that development partners and other key stakeholders align their technical and financial resources to our AU Action Plan for agri-food systems.”
733 million people – 1 in 11 of the global population – are facing hunger today. There is still a long way to go to achieve the goal of zero hunger. It is estimated that 582 million people will still be affected by hunger in 2030, unless further investments are made. A new study by UNIDO and FAO titled “Ending hunger is possible: An income-generating approach through value addition,” finds that the cost of ending hunger by 2030 has increased from $330 billion to $540 billion due to a lack of sufficient long-term structural investments. These costs are additional to existing investments by governments, the private sector, and the international development community. The study presents actionable, concrete solutions for ending hunger by focusing on raising the incomes of the poorest in the world and increasing local value addition in the agri-food sector.
FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero: “The cost of inaction rises daily, affecting not just finances but lives. We must act urgently and coordinate and prioritize investments to accelerate the transformation of agri-food systems.”
The need to act now
Significant progress has been made in the global fight against hunger over the past decades. The proportion of the global population suffering from hunger has decreased by almost 50% since 1990, when more than one billion people were affected. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 these figures have risen dramatically. Global shocks have increased conflicts worldwide, climate change induced weather extremes and disasters and supply chain disruptions have worsened the hunger crisis. These factors have driven food prices to unprecedented levels. Sudan for example is on the brink of the worst famine in four decades, while climate change has led to severe droughts in the Horn of Africa and extreme weather events affecting crop yields in South Asia. The World Without Hunger Conference comes at a crucial time, mobilizing investments and offering a solution-oriented, long-term strategy that addresses the underlying structural challenges that make countries vulnerable to food insecurity.
