U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green on World Food Day

Office of Press Relations
Telephone: +1.202.712.4320 | Email: press@usaid.gov

Today, we mark World Food Day, celebrated each year to promote worldwide awareness and action to ensure investments in food security make a lasting impact.

Despite progress, more than 820 million people in the world today are hungry, many as a result of conflict. That sobering reality reminds us of the work we all still have to do.

Feeding the hungry and helping people through a crisis are core American values. For many years, the United States has been the global leader in food aid, and we will continue to lead and provide life-saving support to those who need it. During my travels this year, I have met many hungry people who have benefited from our help — Venezuelans in Colombia, Rohingya in Bangladesh, and South Sudanese — and I have seen first-hand how important food assistance is to millions like them. But improving long-term food security is also in our shared economic interest, because it means helping people become self-sufficient, so they are able to feed themselves and better withstand future shocks.

The United States is committed to improving global food security and nutrition, and we believe tackling hunger requires an “all-hands-on-deck” approach. The U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative is a broad partnership that draws on the expertise, resources, talents, and dedication of numerous Federal Departments and Agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), philanthropists, private companies, research institutes, universities, and individuals. Feed the Future identifies and develops sustainable answers to food insecurity, while encouraging our partner countries to invest more in their own development. Today, an estimated 23.4 million more people are living above the poverty line, 3.4 million more children are living free of stunting, and 5.2 million more families are not hungry in the targeted areas where Feed the Future has worked for over seven years.

The Global Food Security Act (GFSA), passed by Congress and signed into law in 2016, codifies this American approach to attacking world hunger. Congress recently passed, and President Trump signed, legislation reauthorizing the GFSA for another five years, which sends a strong signal that the United States continues to help end food insecurity and malnutrition around the globe.

By continuing to invest in new technologies and long-term solutions to create food security today, we can reduce need in the future, while opening up new markets for American businesses. Partnerships have been, and will continue to be, key to making this happen. The United States cannot, and should not, bear this burden alone-We need all of our United Nations (UN), NGO, foreign government and donor partners to work together to tackle the challenge of hunger.