NEW YORK — The second sustainable development goal of ending global hunger is not achievable by 2030, David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Programme, told Devex.
“Our goal is to end world hunger by 2030. With all the conflict and all the war, it’s not even possible,” he said in an interview Sunday at the Social Good Summit in New York and ahead of Global Goals Week.
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“We've got to have more money, we've got to have more funds. Otherwise more people are going to starve and die. So what we're asking: step up with more funds, or number two, end the wars. That’s the message this week,” Beasley added.
He called for people to come together to address the conflicts that are fueling food insecurity. About 80 percent of WFP funding is now going to areas where there is conflict, Beasley said.
In order to address the big challenges, governments, the private sector, and the broader public can all play a role, he said. WFP is looking to “appeal particularly to the millennials and the youth out there that are fed up with all the religious and political division,” he said.
“I think the world is looking for something to rally around, feel good about. And helping starving children ... I can’t think of anything better to unite people than that,” he said.
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About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
