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.
UN reform, Trump, the SDGs, and moonshots: There is plenty to discuss in New York as international delegations arrive for Global Goals Week. Here are our 6 things to watch.
Devex is on the ground in New York. Sign up for our Global Goals Week daily briefings.
“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.
Devex is on the ground in New York at Global Goals Week, bringing you daily morning briefings with everything you need to know — whether you're here in person or following the events from afar. Sign up for our daily briefings.
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is an Associate Editor at Devex, where she covers the intersection of business and international development, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. From partnerships to trade and social entrepreneurship to impact investing, Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development. 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.
