United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the international community to unite in the fight against hunger and to build sustainable food systems that benefit both people and the planet.
In his message marking World Food Day 2025, Guterres recalled that 80 years ago, in a world emerging from war, countries came together to defeat hunger. Despite major progress over the decades, he warned that recent crises have shown how fragile those achievements remain.
“Today, around the world, 673 million people still go to bed hungry every night. Many more face daily uncertainty about their next meal,” said the Secretary-General. “Global progress is far too slow and, in some regions, reversing.”
He pointed to a range of challenges that continue to threaten global food security — from climate shocks and rising obesity to the “shameful weaponization of hunger,” where people in conflict zones are deliberately starved, and famine is taking hold.
This year’s World Food Day theme — “Hand-in-hand for Better Foods and a Better Future” — calls for cooperation across borders, sectors, and communities. According to Guterres, the theme reflects the priorities identified at the Food Systems Summit Stocktake in July and the United Nations Call to Action, which outlines six key areas for action to transform global food systems.
“We have the tools, knowledge, and resources to end hunger and provide good, healthy food for all,” Guterres emphasized. “What we need is unity. Let us come together once again to build food systems that nourish people and protect the planet.”
