Great Talk by Kofi Annan on 4 ways to end hunger in Africa

Updated 1419 GMT (2219 HKT) September 5, 2016
By Kofi Annan

This week, African heads of state gather in Kenya for the African Green Revolution Forum

Annan: Almost 800 million men, women and children won't have enough food to eat today

Editor's Note: Kofi Annan is the Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation . He

was Secretary-General of the United Nations for 1997 to 2006

(CNN) — For the first time in human history, the end of

hunger is well within our reach. While courageous and

passionate individuals have been working to end this

scourge for decades, a recent confluence of political will,

public-private partnerships and funding has made this

ambition possible.

We have, of course, a long way to go. Almost 800 million

men, women and children will not have enough food to eat

today. But the achievement of halving the proportion of

malnourished people since 1990 has shown us just what

can be achieved.

Look, for example, at Africa. Twelve years ago, when I was

UN Secretary-General , I called for a "uniquely African Green

Revolution" to transform agriculture and the life chances of

hundreds of millions of people on the continent. Progress

has been remarkable.

For over a decade, African countries have put a much

greater emphasis on investment in agriculture and

supporting the continent's farmers. The Comprehensive

Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP),

launched by African leaders in 2003 and reiterated in the

Malabo Declaration of June 2014, provides a clear

framework to accelerate investment and coordinate

countries' efforts.

International donors have thrown their weight behind these

national efforts. From a surge in donor investment

stemming from the 2009 G-8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, to

the agreement by the global community to prioritize hunger

and malnutrition in last year's Sustainable Development

Goals, the tide is turning.

With the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and

Rockefeller Foundation, the Alliance for a Green Revolution

in Africa (AGRA) was created in 2006. In just a short

period of time, it has become a preeminent leader in

transforming Africa's agriculture and food systems.

Thanks to the partnerships it has formed, the research and

development it has supported and the initiatives on the

ground it has launched, smallholder farmers have obtained

access to better seeds, sustainable agricultural techniques

and financing, while thousands of agri-businesses have

been created and expanded.

The last few weeks have given more reason to celebrate. In

a rare show of bipartisan cooperation, the United States

Congress in July passed the Global Food Security Act. This

significant legislation reaffirms the United States'

commitment to ending global hunger, poverty and child

malnutrition through President Obama's Feed the Future

Initiative by supporting developing countries to improve

their agriculture and broaden food systems. It is hoped

that the passing of the Act encourages other traditional

donor countries to take similar actions.

This latest good news comes as African heads of state,

international donors and hunger advocates from around the

world gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the African Green

Revolution Forum . It is an opportunity not only to celebrate

collective progress but also to commit ourselves to step up

the battle against hunger and malnutrition.

We must seize on this critical moment and build on the

incredible progress that's been made in recent years. We

all gain if we get this right. Increasing food security not

only lifts the shadow of hunger from hundreds of millions

of our fellow human beings. It also builds up economies

and trade and minimizes the risk of political instability.

I believe there are four main keys to tipping the scales and

sentencing global hunger to extinction.

Keep hunger on domestic and

international agendas

First is the continued political will to keep this issue high

on domestic and international agendas, for no country can

be strong when its people are weakened by hunger. The

role of civil society in constantly encouraging governments

to make agriculture a priority is vital here as well.

Build effective partnerships

No single individual, group or government can take on this

monumental challenge alone. We have seen over the last

few years just how quick and significant progress can be

when we have the vision to work together.

Help countries become self-sufficient

We must retain and strengthen country ownership.

Developing countries -- who suffer disproportionately from

food insecurity -- must take the lead in defining their own

path to prosperity. Find more money. Finally, the recognition of the critical importance of

financing. The impressive progress so far will not be

sustained and accelerated without new investment from

both the private sector and developing countries

themselves, in addition to traditional donors.

Developing country leaders, private sector companies,

donors, NGOs and others now have the chance to achieve

something incredible within our lifetimes. This week and

into the future, I challenge my colleagues working in global

development, especially heads of state and private sector

leaders, to prioritise this issue. Working together -- across

sectors and disciplines -- we can make hunger history.

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