FOOD SECURITY
Invest in the future and the present will look less bleak
Investment underpinned by sound policies and programmes can turn around even the worst situations and transform lives – and, with support, the world’s most vulnerable countries can realise their potential
aid later. Decades of experience show that every dollar invested in resilience now saves up to $10 in emergency aid in the future. The more sensible, humane and fiscally responsible choice is to invest now in the world’s poorest countries – home to 1.9 billion people, or about 25% of humanity – so that their young populations can reach their potential.
By Alvaro Lario, president, International Fund for Agricultural Development
T he world has a grave problem. After decades of closing the global income gap, the poorest countries are once again getting relatively poorer. All 193 member states of the United Nations, including the G7 countries, have committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, including the first SDG to end poverty, and the second, to end hunger. But progress has long been lagging – even before crises such as Covid-19 and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza disrupted geopolitics and the global economy. G7 leaders meeting in Apulia have an opportunity to get back on track with progress on ending poverty and hunger. The need is urgent. Not just because freedom from hunger and poverty are fundamental human rights, but also because they drive inequality, fragility and instability. If wealthier countries skimp on poverty prevention now, they risk spending vastly more on emergency
ALVARO LARIO Alvaro Lario is president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. He has more than 20 years’ experience in academia, private-sector asset management, the World Bank Group and the United Nations, including as IFAD’s associate vice-president of financial operations. Under his stewardship, IFAD became the first UN fund to enter capital markets and obtain a credit rating, enabling IFAD to expand resource mobilisation efforts to the private sector. Before joining IFAD in 2018, he was the treasury capital markets lead and principal portfolio officer at the International Finance Corporation.
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G7 ITALY: THE APULIA SUMMIT — 2024
globalgovernanceproject.org
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