Global Food Security Summit

September 20, 2022 in New York City

The world is facing a global food security crisis with multiple causes, among them: climate change, COVID-19, and conflicts, including Russia’s unprovoked and ongoing war against Ukraine. More than 765 million people across the globe were chronically hungry in 2021.

In response to this growing global crisis, the United States, the European Union, the African Union, and Spain co-chaired the Global Food Security Summit on September 20 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Additional co-hosts include Germany, Colombia, Nigeria, the European Commission, and Indonesia.

A recording of the Summit and additional background information can be found below.

The climate crisis is crippling global agricultural production. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused job and income losses, as well as supply chain disruptions. Ongoing conflict in a range of countries around the world is compounding these issues further.

Due to unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa, approximately 20.5 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya require emergency food assistance to meet basic needs as of late August. The UN has projected some areas of Somalia could face famine later this year absent additional humanitarian assistance.

At the outset of 2022, conflicts, COVID-19, the effects of the climate crisis had already driven more than 190 million people into acute food insecurity. According to the World Food Program, President Putin’s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine may add 70 million people on top of that – an already staggering number becoming even more staggering.
Secretary antony j. blinken, September 20, 2022
Read secretary blinken’s full remarks at the Global Food Security Summit

The goal of this Summit, held one year after the UN Food Systems Summit, is to catalyze greater global action to advance global food security by showcasing current, tangible actions and, highlighting exceptional efforts in the seven broad key areas outlined in the Roadmap for Global Food Security – Call to Action.

The Global Food Security Summit also built on the outcomes of the June 2022 G7 Summit, during which the United States and its partners announced more than $4.7 billion to address global food security with more than half of the amount coming from the United States.

In the spirit of a more inclusive and effective multilateral system, leaders will look for sustainable solutions that will provide immediate relief and strengthen agriculture resilience.

Schedule and Sessions

The summit took place on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. in New York City.

Plenary: Leader-level Session on Global Food Security

Photos from the Food Security Ministerial

Photos by Ronny Przysucha. The U.S. Department of State is making these photographs available strictly for personal use, and requests that they not be used in any commercial, advertising, or promotional manner that would suggest approval of or endorsement by the U.S. Department of State or the Secretary of State.