Financing the fight against poverty and hunger: mobilising resources for a sustainable development goal reset
The world’s governments are falling far short of the pledges they made to eradicate extreme poverty and create a world with “zero hunger”.
Abstract
The world’s governments are falling far short of the pledges they made to eradicate extreme poverty and create a world with “zero hunger” by 2030 the first and second Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On current trends, the poverty goal will be missed by a wide margin. These failures have stalled progress in other areas, contributing to a wider crisis in attaining the SDGs.
Millions of people are living with avoidable poverty and preventable hunger. In response, the Brazilian Presidency of the G20 has proposed a Global Hunger and Poverty Alliance to galvanise change. The alliance would seek to mobilise political leadership and financial resources to support policies with a proven potential to accelerate progress on SDGs 1 and 2. Success would have transformative effects. Getting back on track to meet the 2030 goals would ease the suffering of millions of people, unlock their potential, and transform their prospects for human development. It would also renew the ambition of the SDGs.
This report, requested by the G20 Presidency, highlights the potential for rapid progress. It focuses on the international financing landscape for supporting SDGs 1 and 2 in low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). These countries account for most extreme poverty and hunger and a large (and rising) share of the SDG delivery shortfall. The authors trace the current trajectory of LICs and LMICs against the SDG targets. They then provide a detailed mapping of the official development finance available to LICs and LMICs for policies geared towards eradicating poverty and attaining zero hunger.
This work is part of the Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC) Programme.
Citation
Watkins K, Nwajiaku-Dahou K and Kovach H. ‘Financing the fight against poverty and hunger: mobilising resources for a sustainable development goal reset’. London, SPARC, 2024