Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Co-operation, Rania el-Mashat, took part in Rio de Janeiro on Friday in the launching of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva and the heads of international financial institutionslaunched the new initiative during the G20 development ministers’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
The Brazilian president unveiled the initiative in Indiaduring the previous G20 summit, with the aim of mobilizing international efforts and action to achieve the first and second goals of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Minister el-Mashat has said the launching of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty enhances the ability of countries to implement sustainable policies to provide services to the lowest-income groups, citing successive challenges that undermine countries’ ability to achieve food security and provide social protection for their citizens.
She noted that these challenges have slowed down progress towards implementing the sustainable development goals.
The minister has made it clear that the world has faced grave and complex challenges since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, through the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the geopolitical tensions that cast their shadows on many countries.
She also pointed out to supply chain crises and rising prices across the world. The minister said the partnership between the G20 and major international institutions and the joining of countries to the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, pinninghigh hopes to overcome global crises that threaten food security.
The World Bank Group and the G20 unveiled a comprehensive package of initiatives to address urgent poverty and hunger, and enable vulnerable people to increase earnings and enhance resilience against climate shocks.
The plan is aimed at scaling up social protection programs, working alongside partners to support at least 500 million people in developing countries by 2030.
As part of the initiative, the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank’s fund for those most in need, will make financing available for countries to use on policies that respond to hunger and poverty. IDA already is the main source of grant and concessional funding to fight poverty and hunger.
