A word from the interim coordinators

Dear friends and colleagues,

One year ago, we gathered at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to launch an ambitious idea: that countries and organizations fighting hunger and poverty could work together differently—not through fragmented projects, but through coordinated partnerships aligned with national priorities. Three weeks ago, in Doha, that idea crossed important milestones.

This past year has been intense. We moved from the Alliance’s Governance Framework blueprint to the installation of the Board of Champions, from strategy to Fast-Track implementation, from political commitment to closing in on concrete country partnerships. Over 200 member countries and organizations have joined the Alliance. The Support Mechanism is now operational in its headquarters in Rome, with a support office in Brasilia, and liaison officers being positioned in key hubs around the world such as Addis Ababa, Bangkok, and Washington.

The past weeks have brought to bear a culmination of this first year of work. On November 3rd, the First Leaders’ Meeting in Doha successfully showcased a transformative shift from planning to action. There, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Palestine, and Zambia announced concrete multi-partner implementation plans, backed by substantial financing and technical support. This demonstrated the effectiveness of the Fast-Track Initiative in translating strategic intent into tangible country-led programs.

The First Leaders’ Meeting in Doha, where more than 70 high level representatives shared their views, provided clear evidence of growing, tangible demand and momentum for the Global Alliance’s core model, particularly its Fast-Track initiative and Policy Basket approach. Multiple countries, including Cambodia, Cuba, Lebanon, Nigeria, Somalia, and Suriname explicitly requested Alliance support or presented national plans designed for activation through Alliance mechanisms. Crucially, the meeting moved beyond declarative statements by showcasing the translation of this high-level political drive into tangible, country-led action. Leaders were not just talking about hunger and poverty; they were committing to specific, national implementation pathways.

Just days later, at COP30, the adoption of the Belém Declaration by 43 countries and the European Union (now at 47 countries + EU and growing) placed the world’s most vulnerable populations at the heart of climate discussions. This historic declaration underscored the inseparable link between climate action, hunger, and poverty, reinforcing the Alliance’s holistic approach. And finally, on Nov 22, in South Africa, the G20 Leaders’ Summit reaffirmed strong support for the Alliance in its consensus declaration, recognizing the G20-born platform as crucial for integrated development.

What comes next

The Alliance is now open for business. As decided in the Leaders’ Meeting, starting early next year the Support Mechanism will begin formally accepting requests from additional countries seeking to join the country level program implementation and partnership building process. The approach is structured, demand-driven, and focused on translating intent into delivery. We will continue to refine it based on what we learn from the countries already engaged.

We are also advancing reflection on integrated financing—a critical piece of the puzzle. Development budgets are under pressure everywhere. Despite convergent mandates and goodwill, partners have limited resources and different procedures, approaches, budget cycles and requirements, which makes it very hard to align resources from multiple partners towards a single national program, however promising and impactful it might be. Alliance members are committed to exploring innovative options to deliver better, more coordinated financing for country-level programs against hunger and poverty and help countries and donors align their support more effectively, reducing transaction costs and increasing impact. This is expected to be a key area of focus in the coming months.

A closing word

This is the last edition of the “Word from the interim Coordinators”. With the Support Mechanism now fully established and operational, the interim support team is stepping back, while, at the direction of the Board of Champions, still providing for a successful transition. The next newsletter will introduce you to the permanent Support Mechanism team members who will carry this work forward. They bring deep expertise, regional presence, and unwavering commitment to the mission.

To the governments, UN agencies, development banks, bilateral partners, philanthropies, and civil society organizations that have leaned in over this past year: thank you. The work has been collaborative, often challenging, and always purposeful. We are grateful for your willingness to think and act differently.

To our colleagues in the interim support team — Adriana Telles, Ana Helena Resende, Andre Lyra, Bernardo Campos, Bruna Ribeiro, Francisco Xavier, Gabriela Perin, Igor Araújo, Igor Ferrão, Jackeline Carvalho, João Dytz, Kevin Watkins, Laura Delamonica, Lidiane Ferreira, Luiza Lisboa, Marcela Costa, Marcus Manuel, Ricardo Campante —it has been an honor to serve alongside you in this project and under the Board of Champions’ leadership and guidance.

The foundation you have helped to build is solid. And we know several of you will still be around!

The Alliance exists to serve the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. The work continues.

With appreciation and resolve,

Renato Godinho, Saulo Ceolin and Fábio Veras

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

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