World Food Day is celebrated this year at Milan Expo by world leaders, civil society and activists gathering together to put the new Global Goal of zero hunger in the spotlight.

Eloise Todd, Global Policy Director for The ONE Campaign, said: “Today 795 million people are suffering from hunger, and over 2 billion people do not get the nutrition they need to thrive. World Food Day must galvanise leaders to set a path towards zero hunger and malnutrition through ambitious investments, particularly in women farmers, better data and rigorous accountability for commitments made, ensuring that the most vulnerable people get what they need to create a world with zero hunger.

“This is the first opportunity since the Global Goals were signed to deliver on the fight to ending hunger in this new framework.  Leaders must now put agriculture, nutrition and food security at the top of their agenda and governments around the world need to make good on some bold promises: at the Malabo summit in 2014, governments within the African Union promised to reduce stunting and increase their agriculture budgets; at the G7 this summer leaders committed to support 500 million people to lift themselves out of chronic hunger and malnutrition. But the progress from these and other commitments must come quickly, to save lives and to build strong economies. We know that investments in agriculture can have far-reaching benefits and are 11 times more effective at reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa than investments in any other sector. And by prioritising girls and women, improving access to labour and land rights – ultimately closing the gender gap in agriculture – the lives of everyone affected by hunger could be transformed.

“Fundamentally, in order to reach the goal of zero hunger we must be able to track our progress and it starts now – that’s why ONE is leading the call for a strong accountability framework in Milan.  Empowering citizens with the right assets  – the data and tools needed to hold their governments to account — is crucial.  Agriculture and nutrition needs must be better tracked all the way from resources to results to ensure leaders keep their promises. Extra funds must also be secured, including from climate adaptation finance, as all eyes turn to the climate summit in Paris next month.

“Global leaders now have the power to shape our world for decades to come and to end extreme poverty by breaking the cycle of hunger for good.”

ENDS