Sir, – Conflict is the single largest driver of food insecurity, forcing millions from their homes and cutting families off from land, markets and basic services. It reshapes how food is produced, moved, sold and eaten. In 2022, the war in Ukraine triggered a global cost-of-living crisis, and food insecurity reached record levels.
Without a rapid resolution, the conflict impacting Iran and the Gulf states could have a similar effect, potentially driving another 45 million people into acute food insecurity, and impacting food and fuel prices and the availability of fertilisers globally.
When the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2015, the ambition to end hunger by 2030 – SDG 2 – was one that was essential and which seemed achievable.
Today, however, it is estimated that this ambition will not be achieved until 2137 – more than a century away. It is not for a lack of wealth or resources, but a matter of where and how that wealth is spent.
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The United Nations estimates that an annual allocation of less than 4 per cent of global military expenditure could end global hunger by 2030, a measure that would save countless lives and immeasurable suffering.
Lasting peace is needed to reverse the steady increase in the number of people who are acutely food insecure. Without it, the systems that people depend upon for food will continue to unravel, and zero hunger will remain an aspiration. – Yours, etc,
DOMINIC CROWLEY,
Chief executive,
Concern Worldwide,
Dublin 2.
