BMLEH’s "Policies against Hunger" conference in Berlin
In 2023, around 733 million people were suffering from hunger. This is equivalent to 11 percent of the global population. Another approx. 2.8 billion people are malnourished. In order to move from knowledge to action on the right to food, we need examples and models that show convincingly that the human-rights based approach works, and how it works. This is where the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity's "Policies against Hunger" conference comes in.
At the start of the three-day conference, Alois Rainer, Federal Minister of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, said: "Three out of every four people suffering from hunger live in rural areas, right where our food is produced. Combating hunger starts in the fields: with fair structures, resilient farms and functioning value chains. To future-proof food systems, we need to think holistically about economic, ecological, and social objectives. By hosting this conference, we want to develop specific ideas and identify good prospects for making food systems more sustainable, resilient and fair. Strengthening our farmers worldwide also means strengthening rural identity, regional development and global justice."
Next Wednesday, Martina Englhardt-Kopf, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, will deliver some final remarks to conclude the conference.
Under the motto of "From Rights to Action! The Right to Food as a Compass for Resilient Food Systems" this year’s conference plans to use specific practical examples in five thematic areas to evaluate what factors for success and what obstacles exist on the path towards realising the right to food. Recommendations for action will be derived from this evaluation and incorporated into the debates at key international and national forums.
Background information:
The Policies against Hunger conferences, which the Federal Ministry has been hosting since 2002, place a major focus on realising the human right to adequate food. They provide a platform designed to put hunger and malnutrition at the centre of the international debates on food security.
The "Policies against Hunger" conference will bring together representatives from politics, administration, international organisations, civil society, the private sector and science to exchange views on the transformation of agricultural and food systems and discuss how the transition towards a systems approach can be designed in a way that food systems become more sustainable, resilient and fair.
