As we all know, today’s conference topic is hunger. My country came through this problem in 1945, with approximately 2 million people had died. I know how severe it was, what factors contributed to it, and how my country has overcome one of the most extreme hunger of history. 

Global hunger is not a new concern towards us. However, I still want to define hunger again briefly. Hunger is an uncomfortable or painful physical sensation caused by insufficient consumption of dietary energy, or to be simple; it is basically we do not have enough food to eat, to provide the required nutrients, or literally do not have anything to eat. 

There is a fact that, around the world, more than enough food is produced to feed the global population. However, 9,9% of people on the Earth, or 811 million citizens, are going to bed with an empty stomach every day.  690 million people globally are undernourished. 21,3% of children under the age of five have to face several malnutrition consequences. So, what are the reasons behind all of these awful statistics?

Hunger is strongly interconnected with poverty, and it involves interactions among an array of social, political, demographic, and societal factors. People living in poverty frequently face household food insecurity, use inappropriate care practices, and live in unsafe environments with low access to quality water, sanitation, and hygiene - all of which contribute to hunger.

Moreover, conflict is also a key driver of severe food crises. Hunger and undernutrition are much worse when conflicts are prolonged, and institutions are weak. The number of conflicts is on the rise, some worsened by climate-related shocks. 

Weather-related events, in part associated with climate change, have also impacted food availability in many countries and thus contributed to the rise of food insecurity. Economic downturns in countries dependent on oil and other primary-commodity export revenues have also affected food availability and decreased people’s ability to access food, especially in the COVID-19 situation. 

We all have to acknowledge that our farming methods at this moment are not optimal, and the adaptability with unpredictable climate conditions is still low. Climate change worsens global hunger, with more frequent and longer-lasting periods of extreme temperatures, flood events, and dry spells. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a broad term that encompasses a number of practices that allow farmers to adapt and become more resilient to a less-predictable climate. These practices include diversifying crop varieties, conservation agriculture practices, and low-water sack gardens. 

Food waste is also a matter of concern that we should focus on to tackle completely global hunger. Currently, one-third of all food produced (over 1.3 billion tons) is wasted. Producing this wasted food also wastes other natural resources —requiring an amount of water equal to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River and creating 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases. 

Ending food waste would be a radical shift, but it’s one that you can be a part of by simply reducing your own food waste. It’s especially important in countries like the United States (which contribute more to climate change but feel the effects less than more vulnerable countries) to take these steps towards climate justice. You can also ask your representatives to commit to reducing food waste on a policy level. 

Zero hunger has never been an easy obstacle; we have struggled with them for decades by decades. And today, once again, I would like to remind any authorities, governments, politicians, and organisations, who are inattentive, absent-mindedly, negligent about the severity of hunger. Together, we should be united more and more to meet this organisation’s goal, which is zero hunger in 2030, we have to reach the goal as soon as possible, and it is even better to accomplish it before the time that we aim. Children are dying; people are starving; we cannot delay anymore, even just an hour.