New York, 27 September 2021 (TDI): Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced at the Global Citizen Live event that the European Union is donating €140 million to support research in sustainable food systems and combat food hunger through CGIAR, formerly known as the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, and a further €25 million for Education Cannot Wait, a global fund for education.
A global food system realignment might put an end to poverty and malnutrition in all of its aspects while also supporting gender equality, job development, prosperous lives, youth opportunities, climate solutions, and environmental health. This is what the CGIAR’s 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy aims to accomplish. EU will give €25 million to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) in order to promote the right of even the most vulnerable children to a safe, high-quality education and to ensure that no one is left behind. The additional financing takes the EU’s overall commitment to Education Cannot Wait to €52.5 million, increasing the organization’s impact, scope, and global reach.
COVID-19 is believed to have driven 100 million people into extreme poverty and another 500 million below the extended poverty line, living on below the US $5.5 a day. In reaction to the pandemic’s consequences in partner countries, the EU, its Member States, and European development finance institutions – collectively known as Team Europe pledged €46 billion in support between April 2020 and April 2021 to assist partner countries in dealing with the pandemic’s immediate health and socio-economic implications.
