Kuwait calls for global action to end poverty and hunger
- Diplomatic Attaché Rashid Farhan in a statement yesterday during the Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly under the agenda items “Eradication of Poverty and Other Development Issues” and “Agricultural Development, Food Security, and Nutrition of the Economic and Financial Committee,” highlighted that nearly 800 million people continue to live in extreme poverty, with children and youth comprising 60 percent of the poorest populations.
The State of Kuwait reaffirmed its commitment to constructive collaboration with international partners to achieve a world free from poverty and hunger. The country urged intensified global efforts to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Diplomatic Attaché Rashid Farhan in a statement yesterday during the Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly under the agenda items “Eradication of Poverty and Other Development Issues” and “Agricultural Development, Food Security, and Nutrition of the Economic and Financial Committee,” highlighted that nearly 800 million people continue to live in extreme poverty, with children and youth comprising 60 percent of the poorest populations, reports Al-Rai daily.
He noted that around 350 million people in Africa face critical food insecurity, while ongoing policies against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have intensified hunger in the region.
While global hunger has slightly declined, with the percentage of people facing food insecurity dropping to 8.2 percent last year, Farhan stressed that sharp regional disparities persist, particularly in the Middle East, Africa, and West Asia. He emphasized the interconnection between peace, security, and food, referencing Kuwait’s submission of UN Security Council Resolution 2417 in 2018, which condemned the use of starvation as a method of combat and linked armed conflict to hunger.
Kuwait has also joined the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger, as well as the Global Alliance for the Protection of Water from Armed Conflict, to strengthen preventive measures and preserve lives and livelihoods.
Highlighting the country’s “New Kuwait 2035” vision, Farhan outlined Kuwait’s focus on comprehensive development, human capital enhancement, infrastructure, a knowledge-based economy, and public health. Through the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, Kuwait is implementing its second strategy (2024–2026) to improve food safety and community nutrition.
Farhan concluded by calling for increased market transparency, improved early warning systems, investment in digital infrastructure, and the empowerment of small producers, women, and youth. He stressed the need to transform agricultural and food systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
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