Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the UNFSS+4 Stocktake AGFUND Side Event: "Mobilizing Investment for SDG2: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships" [as prepared for delivery]
Statements | Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General
Statements | Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General
Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Colleagues and friends,
It is a pleasure to be with you today to confront one of the great injustices of our time, and to spotlight a response that offers hope.
Let me start with the stark reality we all know too well.
Hunger is rising.
Over 800 million people are food insecure.
Climate shocks and conflict are battering food systems.
Inflation and instability are undermining livelihoods.
Once again, those with the least are paying the highest price.
Behind the numbers are human potential being lost every single day. Children whose growth is stunted, mothers who skip meals to feed their families, and farmers trapped in cycles of debt when harvests fail.
This is both a development emergency and a solvable failure.
We have the knowledge and the means, what we lack is the scale of investment needed to act decisively.
Food systems don't stop at borders: rivers flow across regions and markets stretch across continents.
Our response must reflect that same interconnection grounded in shared responsibility.
Food systems don't stop at borders: rivers flow across regions and markets stretch across continents.
Our response must reflect that same interconnection grounded in shared responsibility.
We meet here in Addis Ababa, a city that has long embodied African cooperation and leadership.
There is no better place to recommit to food security and resilience.
Food is more than a necessity.
It is also a foundation for peace and a force for unity.
In a divided world, food carries the promise of shared responsibility and shared survival.
It is with this understanding that I welcome the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
That is why I welcome the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
Launched at COP16 under Saudi leadership and supported by AGFUND and many others, this initiative offers a structured, forward-looking response to today's urgent needs.
The value of the Flagship lies in its design.
It brings together science and policy, local knowledge and institutional finance, governments and field-based delivery.
Over 30 partners are already involved.
With careful targeting and strong regional coordination, the Flagship is directing resources to the people and places that need them most - smallholder farmers, women producers, and fragile ecosystems.
This approach recognizes that sustainable food security cannot be achieved through top-down solutions alone. It requires empowering local communities, strengthening indigenous knowledge systems, and ensuring that women — who produce the majority of the world's food — have equal access to land, credit, and decision-making power.
This initiative is not just a vision on paper, it is already generating real momentum.
Through integration with the Global Drought Resilience Partnership, and through collaboration with the Joint SDG Fund in countries like Ethiopia and Cameroon. These efforts show that it's possible to build practical, blended financing models that support action.
We are seeing real leadership across Africa. Countries are moving forward with national strategies, restoring land, and linking action to results.
This is African leadership in motion rooted in local priorities, supported by global partners.
Yet we must be clear-eyed about the obstacles that remain, particularly around financing.
The financing gap for food systems transformation is estimated at over 300 billion dollars annually.
Connected, is the fundamental inequity in how climate finance flows. The countries most affected by climate change receive the least support, while those who have contributed least to the problem bear the greatest burden.
The financing gap is felt most in the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. We need to unlock more capital, not only from traditional sources, but also through ESG bonds, responsible land investment, and climate-aligned funds.
Before I close, I want to acknowledge the partners who have made this possible.
Let me thank AGFUND and Dr. Nasser Al Kahtani for their leadership, the Crop Trust for hosting the Secretariat, and the Arab Coordination Group for their financial and strategic backing.
As we move forward together, we must remember what this work is really about.
This initiative is a reminder that change comes from purpose, partnership, and persistence.
So, let us move forward with a shared determination.
Because food systems transformation is not only about agriculture.
It is about dignity.
It is about justice.
It is about the future we owe one another.
Thank you.
It is a pleasure to be with you today to confront one of the great injustices of our time, and to spotlight a response that offers hope.
Let me start with the stark reality we all know too well.
Hunger is rising.
Over 800 million people are food insecure.
Climate shocks and conflict are battering food systems.
Inflation and instability are undermining livelihoods.
Once again, those with the least are paying the highest price.
Behind the numbers are human potential being lost every single day. Children whose growth is stunted, mothers who skip meals to feed their families, and farmers trapped in cycles of debt when harvests fail.
This is both a development emergency and a solvable failure.
We have the knowledge and the means, what we lack is the scale of investment needed to act decisively.
Food systems don't stop at borders: rivers flow across regions and markets stretch across continents.
Our response must reflect that same interconnection grounded in shared responsibility.
Food systems don't stop at borders: rivers flow across regions and markets stretch across continents.
Our response must reflect that same interconnection grounded in shared responsibility.
We meet here in Addis Ababa, a city that has long embodied African cooperation and leadership.
There is no better place to recommit to food security and resilience.
Food is more than a necessity.
It is also a foundation for peace and a force for unity.
In a divided world, food carries the promise of shared responsibility and shared survival.
It is with this understanding that I welcome the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
That is why I welcome the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
Launched at COP16 under Saudi leadership and supported by AGFUND and many others, this initiative offers a structured, forward-looking response to today's urgent needs.
The value of the Flagship lies in its design.
It brings together science and policy, local knowledge and institutional finance, governments and field-based delivery.
Over 30 partners are already involved.
With careful targeting and strong regional coordination, the Flagship is directing resources to the people and places that need them most - smallholder farmers, women producers, and fragile ecosystems.
This approach recognizes that sustainable food security cannot be achieved through top-down solutions alone. It requires empowering local communities, strengthening indigenous knowledge systems, and ensuring that women — who produce the majority of the world's food — have equal access to land, credit, and decision-making power.
This initiative is not just a vision on paper, it is already generating real momentum.
Through integration with the Global Drought Resilience Partnership, and through collaboration with the Joint SDG Fund in countries like Ethiopia and Cameroon. These efforts show that it's possible to build practical, blended financing models that support action.
We are seeing real leadership across Africa. Countries are moving forward with national strategies, restoring land, and linking action to results.
This is African leadership in motion rooted in local priorities, supported by global partners.
Yet we must be clear-eyed about the obstacles that remain, particularly around financing.
The financing gap for food systems transformation is estimated at over 300 billion dollars annually.
Connected, is the fundamental inequity in how climate finance flows. The countries most affected by climate change receive the least support, while those who have contributed least to the problem bear the greatest burden.
The financing gap is felt most in the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. We need to unlock more capital, not only from traditional sources, but also through ESG bonds, responsible land investment, and climate-aligned funds.
Before I close, I want to acknowledge the partners who have made this possible.
Let me thank AGFUND and Dr. Nasser Al Kahtani for their leadership, the Crop Trust for hosting the Secretariat, and the Arab Coordination Group for their financial and strategic backing.
As we move forward together, we must remember what this work is really about.
This initiative is a reminder that change comes from purpose, partnership, and persistence.
So, let us move forward with a shared determination.
Because food systems transformation is not only about agriculture.
It is about dignity.
It is about justice.
It is about the future we owe one another.
Thank you.