UN chief urges efforts to address root causes of hunger, malnutrition

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called upon the international community to strengthen the efforts to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, saying that the effective implementation of the global development goals is crucial to reducing poverty.

The international community should continue to work together to meet the challenge of hunger and malnutrition, Ban said at a high-level event on "Pathways to Zero Hunger" at UN Headquarters in New York.

The event was held on the sidelines of the ongoing annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly.

The secretary-general noted some progress by the world community in combatting the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, but he said that the challenge of providing the fundamental right to adequate food to all people must remain a priority.

"It is unacceptable in a world of plenty that nearly 800 million people still suffer from hunger," he said. "This represents a collective moral and political failure."

The Zero Hunger Challenge reflects five elements from within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which, taken together, can end hunger, eliminate all forms of malnutrition, and build inclusive and sustainable food systems.

The SDGs, approved by world leaders in September 2015, serves as the blueprint for the global development efforts for the years leading up to 2030.

The anti-hunger event, co-organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), seeks to galvanize momentum for the Zero Hunger Challenge launched by the Secretary-General in 2012. Endit