Thirteen Countries Move Closer to Eradicating Hunger

Rome – Thirteen countries today won recognition from FAO for outstanding progress in fighting hunger, an achievement which includes reaching international targets ahead of the end-of-2015 deadline.

Brazil, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gabon, the Gambia, Iran, Kiribati, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, the Philippines and Uruguay are the latest in a growing list of countries to make great strides in combating undernourishment.

This includes the early achievement of the Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG1) hunger target – to halve the proportion of hungry people by 2015 – or the more stringent 1996 World Food Summit (WFS) target of halving the absolute number of hungry people by 2015.

During a ceremony at FAO headquarters, the Organization’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, awarded diplomas to government representatives of the 13 countries.

“You have overcome major challenges in difficult global economic conditions and policy environments. You have demonstrated the will and mobilized the means,” Graziano da Silva said addressing the award recipients.

Progress in eradicating worldwide hunger over the next ten years “is gaining momentum”, but much more needs to be done – 805 million people still suffer from chronic undernourishment – the FAO Director-General said, urging countries to accelerate progress.

To achieve this, there is a need to “improve the quality and efficiency of food systems, promote rural development, increase productivity, raise rural incomes, improve access to food, and strengthen social protection,” Graziano da Silva said.

According to FAO , Ethiopia, Gabon, the Gambia, Iran, Kiribati, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico and the Philippines have now reached the MDG-1 hunger target, while Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay have also achieved the more ambitious WFS target of halving the number of hungry by 2015.

To date, 63 developing countries have reached the MDG target, and six more are on track to reach it by 2015. Of the 63 countries which have reached the MDG target, 25 have also achieved the more ambitious World Food Summit (WFS) target of halving the number of undernourished people by 2015.

The UN State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014 (SOFI 2014)report, released earlier this year, identified several critical factors driving the success achieved by countries in reducing hunger. Chief among these is transforming political commitment into effective action.

Brazil, the report noted, has put the need to combat undernourishment at the center of its political agenda with the launch of the Zero Hunger program in 2003 which introduced social protection measures, such as cash transfers for the poor and national school meals, combined with innovative programs for family farming. These links between social protection and productive support contributed to job creation and higher real wages, as well as significant decreases in hunger and greater income equality.

In several countries – including Ethiopia, Gabon, the Gambia, Mauritania, Mauritius, and the Philippines – the achievement of the internationally established goals is attributable to economic growth and the policies put in place by governments over the last two decades. In most countries, interventions in agriculture have been complemented by social protection programs aiming to provide immediate relief to vulnerable population groups.

The statistics used to determine the attainment of the MDG and WFS targets are produced by FAO using official data provided by member countries and other international agencies.

Prepared By: SH. Al -Khatib