A word from the interim coordinators

As we continue our drive towards the full operationalization of the Global Alliance Support Mechanism, the 13 Fast Track countries have been working hard with the Interim Support Team to develop program implementation pre-plans, identifying gaps in technical and financial capacity, which Alliance members can help fill through targeted partnerships.

In many cases this process has benefited from the invaluable support of Alliance members such as FAO, IDB, UNICEF, UN-ESCWA, the World Bank, WFP, IFAD, WHO, and others that have mobilized their staff at the country level. Activities included a mix of online meetings and in-person study tours, such as the visits by Benin, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to Brazil; WFP missions to Indonesia; and face-to-face meetings in Kenya, among others.

Early fruits of that effort may be showcased during the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FfD4), to be held in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 3, in a special side event dedicated to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.

Meanwhile, the Alliance’s membership continued to grow, with the official accession of Eswatini, Senegal, and Zimbabwe, along with the submission of the African Development Bank’s Statement of Commitment. Their participation was formalized during the II Brazil-Africa Dialogue, held in Brasília. The following week, Cabo Verde also announced its intention to join, with formalization expected soon.

Ethiopia, a founding member and Champion on our Board, reaffirmed its commitment by offering to host the Support Mechanism’s African regional office. Its Deputy Prime Minister portrayed the Alliance as “an indispensable initiative”. Leaders from Angola and Tanzania also voiced strong support for the Global Alliance, emphasizing the Alliance’s role as a partnership of equals and a platform for scalable sovereign-led programs and policies.

Speaking of sovereign programs rooted in national systems, legislative action is indispensable to establish long-term programs anchored in national legislation and budget. In Salamanca, the two Co-Chairs of the Board of Champions, Spain’s State Secretary for International Development Eva Granados and Brazil’s Minister of Social Development Wellington Dias spoke about the importance of expanding the fight against hunger and poverty to the legislative arena. During the event It All Starts with Food, alongside parliamentarians, experts, and regional leaders, the seeds of a global parliamentary coalition against hunger and poverty were planted. This initiative – separate but coordinated with the Global Alliance – aims to strengthen the legal and budgetary frameworks needed to realize the right to food.

Finally, Alliance members are also deepening coordination around the critical links between climate action and the fight against hunger and poverty. Building on the successful Guidance Note on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and aligned member efforts, a new consensus is emerging: climate adaptation and finance must go further in integrating adaptive social protection and resilience-building for the most vulnerable. Momentum is building for this message to be top of mind by November, in COP30.

These and other developments will be addressed by the Core Group of the Board of Champions in an on-line meeting on June 16, setting the scene for FfD4 in Seville and guiding the next steps of our collective work.

Warm wishes,

Fábio Veras, Renato Godinho and Saulo Ceolin

Coordinators for the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty’s interim support team