UNFSSS+4 Launch of the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report Opening Statement

Your Excellency the UN Deputy Secretary General,

Your Excellency the President of Ethiopia,

Your Excellency the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to be here with you today to officially launch the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report.

This marks the first time the SOFI Report is being presented on the African continent, together with my colleagues from Rome, Alvaro Lario, IFAD President, and Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director, as well as the Special Guest from the Ministry of Brazil. Africa is an appropriate choice, as it stands at the frontline in the global fight against hunger.

We began our day by highlighting the urgency of transforming our agrifood systems—through better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life—ensuring no one is left behind.

Across the world, countries are working to ensure that these systems deliver safe, nutritious, and affordable foods for all, now and in the future.

Achieving this requires transparent, high-quality data and professional analysis.

While the challenges are significant, they are not impossible to solve. And can be turned into opportunities for all.

By sharing knowledge, experience, and practical solutions, we can—and must—meet our shared ambitions. This is the core purpose of the SOFI report.

The news this year offers hope, even if we are still far from where we need to be.

In 2024, 673 million people around the world faced hunger, equivalent to 8.2% of the global population. This marks an improvement from 8.5% in 2023. It’s remarkable.

While hunger levels have declined from their 2022 peak, we have not yet recovered from the compounded crises of recent years.

Today, 90 million more people are facing hunger than in 2020—and 100 million more than in 2015, when the SDGs were launched. Of course we have had a 10-year increase in population, so the overall number is higher, but the ratio percentage rate is declining.

These global figures conceal very different regional dynamics.

In Africa, hunger continues to worsen. Today, 307 million people, equivalent to 20% of the population, are food insecure.

This stands in strong contrast with Asia, where 6.7% (323 million people) face hunger, and Latin America and the Caribbean, where 5.1% (34 million people) are affected.

Encouraging progress has been made in both Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean region – and especially in Brazil where for another time they have gone off the hunger map, which means that less than 2.5% of the population is facing hunger! A big congratulations to my dear friend President Lula [applause from the UNECA meeting room].

While overall in the region the prevalence of hunger declined by 0.6 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively, between 2023 and 2024.

Hunger has fallen notably in Southeastern and Southern Asia, as well as in South America—driven by smart, targeted policies and strategic investments.

Despite this progress, projections show that by 2030, 512 million people will still face chronic hunger and six out of every 10 will be in Africa. That is why at FAO I have said so many times at we should focus, focus, focus on Africa – we need to strengthen our focus on the African continent. Data always tells us the truth.

Recovery must be inclusive—we cannot accept a future where entire regions are left behind.

When we look beyond hunger, the malnutrition picture remains mixed. Child stunting has declined modestly over the past decade, but wasting has stagnated.

Worse still, anemia among women aged 15–49 has increased from 27.6% to 30.7%, with most regions showing stagnation or deterioration.

And while millions go hungry, many others consume more than is healthy. Adult obesity rose from 12.1% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2022, a sharp reminder of the double burden of malnutrition.

But undernourishment is only the visible tip of a much larger iceberg. In 2024, around 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.

These burdens are not shared equally. Africa remains the most severely affected region. Again.

Globally, rural populations and women continue to bear the brunt of food insecurity.

Improving the quality of diets is essential. A healthy diet must be adequate, diverse, balanced, and moderate.

That is why I am pleased to announce that, for the first time, the SOFI report includes new indicators of dietary diversity for both children and women – this is a critical step towards monitoring SDG Target 2.2 more effectively.

The findings are daunting: only one-third of children aged six to 23 months and two-thirds of women aged 15 to 49 meet the minimum criteria for dietary diversity. That is why I always say that from biodiversity to food diversity is the right path to follow.

Much more must be done to expand access to nutritious, diverse diets for all—especially women and children.

We must make healthy diets more available, more accessible and more affordable.

The 2021 SOFI report provided, for the first time, global estimates on affordability. While there has been moderate progress since then, as of 2024, 2.6 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet.

This limited progress is largely due to the multiple, overlapping crises we face. Food inflation, in particular, has eroded purchasing power and undermined the ability of households to translate economic growth into better nutrition.

That is why this year’s SOFI report includes a special focus on food inflation—its causes, its consequences, and what can be done about it.

Since 2020, food price inflation has outpaced overall inflation every year, underscoring the unique vulnerabilities of agrifood systems and the urgent need to prioritize food policy in macroeconomic planning.

Addressing this issue requires a coordinated, multi-layered policy response.

We must: One: Protect vulnerable populations with targeted, time-bound fiscal measures;

Two: Align fiscal and monetary policies to stabilize markets;

Three: Promote structural and trade reforms for lasting impact;

Four: Strengthen data systems to manage volatility and prevent speculation; and

Five: Invest in resilient agrifood systems to reduce the risk of future shocks.

In the face of global disruptions, protectionist or inward-looking policies are counterproductive. What we need is coordinated global action—based on shared responsibility, solidarity, and sound evidence.

The unity and collaboration among the agencies contributing to the SOFI report shows what is possible when we work together.

This partnership embodies the best of the UN system at the service of its Members.

The 2025 SOFI report confirms that progress is possible. Some regions are already demonstrating what works. We must learn from them and act decisively.

But time is running out.

Achieving food security and improved nutrition for all will require sustained political commitment – like the Heads of State who have come to attend this conference - bold investments in better production and a healthier environment, and evidence-based policies that ensure better lives for everyone.

The path forward demands urgency, inclusiveness, and action. We must reach all communities—rural and urban, women and men, children and elders—with solutions that are timely, fair, and effective.

Let us act now—not just with ambition, but with determination—to achieve Zero Hunger, leaving no one behind.

This is the best way to honour the memory of our dear friend Sir David Nabarro, who spent his whole life with determination fighting for a better world. May peace and eternal rest be with him, and condolences to his family.  

Thank you.