CAPE TOWN, Oct. 17 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday urged governments, businesses, and civil society to take collective action to eradicate hunger and guarantee equal access to food, calling food security a fundamental test of social justice. He made the remarks at the seventh Social Justice Summit held in Cape Town under the theme “Social Justice, Food Security and Peace: Pathways to Equality, Solidarity, Sustainability and Climate Resilience.” Ramaphosa said the fight against hunger and poverty must become a moral, social, and developmental imperative not only in South Africa but across the world. “Many people continue to experience inadequate or severely inadequate access to food. Severe acute malnutrition remains a challenge,” he said. “At a global level, countries are being confronted with the dire effects of hunger, food insecurity and the associations with climate change.” The president warned that South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both targeting the 2030 deadline to eradicate poverty and hunger, are behind schedule. “What we know is that progress toward achieving both the NDP and the SDGs is way off course. The 10-year review of the NPD showed that, despite considerable gains, in the main there remains a wide gap between ambition and delivery in critical areas,” he noted. Ramaphosa further called on delegates to move beyond dialogue and towards concrete, coordinated action. “Achieving equality, solidarity and sustainability in food systems requires partnerships,” said Ramaphosa. “It demands that we put evidence to work. It demands that we act collectively — across government, business and civil society — to ensure that freedom from hunger becomes a lived reality for every South African,” he added.
Xinhua of the African Youth Newspaper
