Update on recent events regarding the International Alliance against Hunger

The results of the World Food Day 2003 celebrations on creating an International Alliance against Hunger are starting to give way to many alliances at national level around the world.

Following the letter written by the Director-General of FAO to all member countries to stimulate them to establish National Alliances, more than 70 countries have already answered, expressing their interest in the Alliance and giving short reports about their activities.

In order to assist in the creation of National Alliances, guidelines and basic principles have been prepared and distributed to the interested countries. Although the Alliance movement is still young, progress achieved in establishing new and innovative forms of partnerships holds great promise for the future. Established Alliances differ between them, as they have been adapted to local needs.

Some of these alliances originated from a governmental input within institutional programs aimed to reduce poverty; others stem from UN agencies that have promoted partnerships on national and local level. Many are focused on advocacy, making visible the problem of hunger while public and private donors are encouraged to implement strategies and projects; some others emerged through close cooperation between government, UN agencies and civil society.

In Brazil, the government launched a national program called Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) and created a special Ministry. Zero Hunger is an umbrella program aimed to create and finance alliances in each municipality of the country. A wide range of local projects ware financed with the cooperation of local institutions, private donors and NGOs. A National Council composed of 13 ministers of state, 11 observers; 38 civil society representatives with a wide regional representation, coordinates policies and governmental actions. Local alliances can have access to funds and information through a national website in Portuguese and a toll-free telephone number.

In Ethiopia, the government engaged in consultations with civil society, private donors and UN agencies in order to set up a national program to fight hunger. It had already committed itself to a previous national program to reduce poverty (Ethiopia Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program, July 2002) that consistently assisted in reducing poverty.
In June 2003, a wide range of bodies (government, UN agencies, NGOs and the Private sector) expressed their will in a forum to establish a National Alliance that was officially launched in August. The coalition has set up a technical group that has prepared a package of proposals, for national workshop for all members and a national forum for donors.

For further information on the alliance please send e-mails to iaah@fao.org

To download the IAAH brochure, please click here.

To read the interview of FAO, IFAD, WFP and IPGRI heads on the IAAH, please click here.