WHH United States (U.S.) – Welthungerhilfe

Many of us in the United States are still processing the outcome of the presidential election—and the implications for development. As we look ahead, the future of climate action remains uncertain. However, Welthungerhilfe (WHH) remains steadfast in our commitment to sustainable development and combating the severe impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. This month, WHH will be hosting two side events at the UN Climate Change Conference #COP29, focused on highlighting the interconnectedness of hunger and climate change, and the innovative solutions required to support those most affected. 🌱 At WHH, we believe that climate resilience is crucial to achieving a world without hunger, and by focusing on soil health and forgotten foods, we’re excited to join global leaders, advocates, and organizations in pushing forward the climate agenda. Join us at COP 29, and let’s make progress on climate action that includes everyone, everywhere. 🔗 Read more about our upcoming events in link in comments. #ClimateAction #COP29 #ZeroHunger #Welthungerhilfe #ClimateJustice

🇺🇸 Today, on Election Day in the United States, we are reminded of the power and responsibility that democratic nations hold—not just domestically but on the global stage. The choices made by institutions and individuals have profound ripple effects worldwide, particularly for those in vulnerable regions. ⛑️ As we witness the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, highlighted in our recent press release, the urgency of global solidarity and action is clear. With nearly 80% of Gaza’s population already in need of humanitarian assistance, Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is on the ground, striving to meet the needs of communities under severe strain. (🔗 Link to press release in comments.) 🤲 But this work requires allies. As you cast your vote and consider the importance of global humanitarian efforts, we encourage reflection on how we can extend the reach of compassion and practical support to those in dire need. Together, we can amplify efforts to alleviate hunger, provide essential resources, and support resilience in the hardest-hit regions. Let’s make a difference—here at home and beyond. 🌍 #ElectionDay #HumanitarianAid #Welthungerhilfe #GlobalSolidarity

Welthungerhilfe to Host Two Side Events at COP 29! 🌍 On November 18 and 22, we’ll lead two pivotal Side Events at the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. Our panel sessions will spark essential discussions on sustainable food systems, soil health, and locally-led climate action. Will you join us? 🤝 1️⃣ Side-Event: "Locally-Led Climate Adaptation through Forgotten Foods" Local and traditional foods like millets and other neglected species provide high nutritional value while addressing challenges like soil degradation, water scarcity, and micronutrient deficiencies. As global food systems become increasingly homogenized, this first side event will highlight the resilience of “forgotten foods” and their crucial role in promoting sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate adaptation. 🌾💧 🗣️ Speakers: Dr. Sabyasachi Das (National Coalition for Natural Farming), Arbind Padhee (Secretary of Agriculture, India), Dr. Khadar Valli (Millet Man), Vishala Reddy Vuyyala (Milletbank), Alvin Muniyasia (ACF Kenya), Mauricio Alcantara (Instituto Regenera). 📅 Monday, November 18, 2024 🕢 6:30 - 8:00 PM (GMT+4) 📍 UNFCCC Venue 2️⃣ Side-Event: "Healthy Soils, Healthy Food – Soil Health and Forgotten Foods for Mitigation and Adaptation" As climate change threatens global food systems, soil health and cultivating resilient, forgotten foods offer powerful ways to mitigate impacts and support locally-led adaptation. Restoring soil health can boost agricultural productivity and act as a carbon sink, while indigenous crops diversify food systems, enhance food security, and build resilience. 🌱🍲 🤝This session will be co-hosted with ADRA International and Aktion gegen den Hunger | Action Against Hunger. 📅 Friday, November 22, 2024 🕟 4:30 - 6:00 PM (GMT+4) 📍 German Pavilion 👉 Don’t miss out! Join us at COP 29 to learn, connect, and take action for resilient food systems and climate solutions! #COP29 #ClimateProtection #ClimateChange #ClimateAdaption #ZeroHunger #FoodSystems COP29 Azerbaijan

Attended the annual gathering in Iowa for the World Food Prize and the “Borlaug Dialogue,” a three-day conference with world leaders and top experts in development, agriculture, economic policy, resource management and nutrition – all inspired by the historic legacy of Norman Borlaug and the achievements of the World Food Prize Laureates in fighting global hunger. This year, the 2024 World Food Prize honors Dr. Cary Fowler and Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin. Their legacy includes building and supporting a global system of genebanks for the conservation of crop diversity, including the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, which safeguards duplicates of 1,301,397 seed samples from around the world. More recently, Dr. Fowler’s work continues through U.S. Department of State as a pioneer of the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) which is bringing governments and the private sector together to develop climate-adapted nutritious crop varieties and building, healthy fertile soils.   The changing climate requires every nation to catalogue and store seeds of all types. Crop biodiversity is necessary for nutrition security and human survival. WHH works to promote seed banking and crop diversity, and as a VACS Champion we aim to include this as a part of our food systems transformation in Africa and around the world.   #FoodPrize24 #VACS 

The GHI 2024 shows that the progress against hunger is falling short. 📉 42 countries have alarming or serious levels of hunger. After decades of significant progress in the fight against hunger, development has entered a phase of stagnation. ⚠️ In 2️⃣2️⃣ countries with moderate, serious, or alarming 2024 GHI scores, hunger has increased since 2016. In 2️⃣0️⃣ countries with moderate, serious, or alarming GHI scores, progress has largely stalled. At the current pace, at least 6️⃣4️⃣ countries will not reach low hunger—much less #ZeroHunger—by 2030. However, examples of progress and hope exist even amid crises and worrying trends. In contrast to the global trend, these five countries have reduced their GHI scores by more than 5 points compared with their 2016 GHI scores: 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 🇲🇿 Mozambique 🇳🇵 Nepal 🇸🇴 Somalia 🇹🇬 Togo Realizing the right to food is both possible and essential. Now more than ever, the world must reverse the alarming trends pushing hunger upward and accelerate progress toward building equitable, nutritious, and resilient food systems, even within the context of a changing climate 🌡️ and turbulent geopolitics 🌍. The good news is that gender justice—equity between people in all spheres of life—holds the promise of transformative change. 💪 When decision-making about sustainable land management, livelihood diversification, and education is inclusive and equitable, households and communities become more resilient to a changing climate and improve their food and nutrition security. 🚀 #GHI2024 #GlobalHungerIndex #FoodSecurity #GenderJustice

This week, Michael Gabriel, Welthungerhilfe (WHH)'s Director of Strategic Partnerships, U.S. and Canada, will be there! 👀 #FoodPrize24

So well-deserved, WHH Mali - Welthungerhilfe! The NGO Day commemorates the collective responsibility of working toward a prosperous Malawi, so being recognized for TWO awards: "Transparent NGO" and "Localization Agenda Champion" are significant achievements! 🏆 #ZeroHunger #Malawi Welthungerhilfe (WHH) #Malawi #NgoDay

🌍✨ Exciting times at the #NetHopeSummit2024 in the Washington, DC area! Last week, I had the opportunity to engage as Welthungerhilfe (WHH) representative with inspiring leaders from the NGO sector, including representatives from Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp, Norwegian Refugee Council, Concern Worldwide, Mercy Corps and many many more. Our discussions highlighted the shared challenges we face in our missions, reinforcing the importance of collaboration. We've underpinned our commitment to working even more closely together in the future. Moreover, the honest presentations of topics around #data and #AI and dynamic discussions throughout the summit were a testament to the unique spirit of the NGO community—constantly learning from one another to maximize our impact. Thank you to all the organizers from NetHope and participants for making this summit a platform for innovation and partnership. Together, we can drive meaningful change! 💪🌟 #NetHope2024 #NGOs #Collaboration #Impact #RefugeeSupport Christoph Schaaps, Michael Gabriel, Steffen Kølbek, Anders Duedahl, Pietro Galli, Roderick Besseling, Nadine Isabel Levin, Héctor Ibarra Eztala, Zineb Bhaby, Barry Roche, Damian Tracey, Johnstone E. Lowoton, Joel Pinckheard, Daniela Weber, Esther Grieder, Morgane Bradley, Christine Odeph, Dianna Langley, Diane DETOEUF, Diane Onyango, Nahed Sahmoud, and many more!

Celebrating Innovation at #InnoLab2024! 🎉 On 22nd October, the five #InnoLab2024 finalists gathered in Nairobi for the final event, pitching their groundbreaking ideas to tackle food system challenges. The event was held as part of the Global Bioeconomy Summit (GBS2024), and it was an afternoon filled with inspiring solutions from across the globe! 🌏 Our teams from Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Niger impressed our jury—Arpana Philip, Josephine Thome, Bernhard Van Lengerich, PhD., Jan Kever, and Mathias Mogge—making the decision incredibly tough! All finalists showcased exceptional ideas, and we are proud of each and every one of them. Here’s a look at their innovative concepts: 🇳🇵 Nepal: A farmer-allied intermediary to connect organic farmers and food vendors. 🇧🇮 Burundi: A conservation-as-a-service model for preserving orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia: Transforming an invasive plant species into a renewable energy source. 🇳🇪 Niger: Introducing a new variety of animal fodder, with seedlings and silaged fodder for sale. 🇧🇩 Bangladesh: Producing and selling seeds of previously uncultivated vegetable varieties. While all our finalists—and the 26 other teams who didn’t make it to the final round—are winners already, spreading the spirit of innovation, we extend a huge congratulations to our Burundi team for winning the competition! 🎉👏 Frédéric NAHAYO, Innocent Nduwimana, and Leonidas Manirambona from Burundi presented a transformative idea for orange-fleshed sweet potato processors, who face significant post-harvest losses (up to 80% after just one month). Their solution? A regionally-sourced, affordable storage bin that enhances sweet potato preservation through natural air circulation, fungal prevention with ash, and simple maintenance. This innovation not only prevents post-harvest losses but also:  💰 Boosts the income of farmers and processors. 🌱 Improves the population’s nutritional status with Vitamin A-rich foods.  🍠 Reduces industrial sugar use, thanks to sweet potatoes' natural sugars. 🌾 Lowers dependence on flour imports.  With no national competitors and little research in sweet potato preservation, this idea truly stands out as a game-changer for Burundi's food system! 🚀 We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been part of this inspiring journey! 💚 Let's continue fostering innovation and driving positive change in global food systems together! 💪 #Innovation #ZeroHunger #FoodSystems

📢 Important addendum to this action-packed week/month for Welthungerhilfe (WHH)—head over to Portland, Oregon for the American Evaluation Association conference to catch Arno Bratz on disrupting impact measurement and practice 📐 👀 ⬇️ #WHHEvents #ZeroHunger #eval2024