Toespraak van Hare Majesteit de Koningin over de Hongerproblematiek

 

United Against Hunger:
Realigning Global Action for Food Crises

New York, 22 septembre 2026

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

As SDG Advocate, I have met families and communities across the world facing food insecurity. The number of affected children, women and men continues to rise. Last year, 266 million people faced acute food insecurity. For the first time in history, two famines were confirmed in a single year.

These alarming figures are unacceptable. Yet beyond the numbers lies an even more troubling reality. Hunger is not merely a humanitarian challenge. It is a profound test of our collective humanity, our solidarity, and our willingness to uphold our shared responsibilities.

Behind every statistic is a person, a family struggling to feed their children, a child whose health, dignity, and future are at risk. The persistence of hunger in a world with the resources and knowledge to prevent it should concern us all.

Today’s food crises are not isolated humanitarian emergencies. They are symptoms of deeper fractures in our global order. They reflect the consequences of conflict, climate change, inequality, economic instability, and, too often, the inability of the international community to rally around effective collective action that protects the dignity, agency, and rights of affected communities.

Conflict remains the primary driver of acute hunger. Violence forces families from their homes and land, disrupts agricultural production, destroys livelihoods, and limits humanitarian access. Where conflict persists, hunger often follows.

At the same time, armed conflicts generate shocks that reverberate far beyond the conflict zones. Rising food prices, disrupted supply chains, and economic instability disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, especially women, children, rural communities, and countries already facing severe pressures.

Peace therefore remains one of the strongest safeguards against hunger. Investing in peace is not only a security imperative; it is also an investment in food security, human dignity, and global stability.

Climate change is placing additional and growing pressure on food systems. Droughts, floods, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe, undermining production, livelihoods, and resilience.

Faced with these interconnected challenges, we must move from reaction to prevention and adaptation. We cannot wait until famine is imminent before acting. Early warning must lead to early action. And prevention should be more than avoiding catastrophe and reducing vulnerability. It should also be about strengthening resilience, building sustainable local food systems, and enabling communities to shape their own future.

In this effort, local communities are at the heart of the solution. They are not merely recipients of assistance. They are the principal actors in developing solutions and strengthening resilience. Their knowledge and experience are indispensable to lasting and effective progress.

Excellencies,

Development cooperation and humanitarian aid are central to addressing food insecurity. But humanitarian and development organizations must also work hand in hand with economic actors and institutions to address both immediate needs and the structural drivers of hunger.

We have to confront the underlying causes of food insecurity, including conflict, inequality, climate-related vulnerabilities, and economic fragility. And we have to renew our commitment to multilateral cooperation and collective action. Hunger cannot be addressed through fragmented responses. It demands a shared sense of responsibility and common purpose.

Our responsibility is therefore clear. We must remain committed to the vision embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2. We must integrate food security across broader policy frameworks and ensure that our actions match the scale of the challenge.

Food security is a human right and a cornerstone of peace and stability. The question is not whether we have the means to end hunger. The question is whether we have the collective determination to do so and the willingness to uphold our responsibilities.

Thank you for your attention.