Better Food Systems, Smarter Investments Key to Erasing World Hunger,

 

Secretary-General Says in Message for International Observance

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on World Food Day, observed on 16 October:

Every day, more than 840 million people go hungry in a world of plenty.  This fact alone should be cause for moral outrage and concerted action.

Yet the challenge extends far deeper.  Two billion people suffer from the “hidden hunger” of malnutrition.  Poor nutrition also means some 1.4 billion people are overweight, with about one third obese and at risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes or other health problems.

The key to better nutrition, and ultimately to ensuring each person’s right to food, lies in better food systems:  smarter approaches, policies and investments encompassing the environment, people, institutions and processes by which agricultural products are produced, processed and brought to consumers in a sustainable manner.

I am pleased that many countries around the world have joined our Zero Hunger Challenge and pledged to work together for sustainable food systems.

Together, we can help make sure that everyone has enough nutritious food each and every day.  On this World Food Day, let us aim for achieving zero hunger in our lifetimes for one and all.

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For information media • not an official record