Food Security: For More Cooperation and Effectiveness
The principles of the OECD Paris Declaration remain the central strategic guidelines.
All views expressed in the Welternährung are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the editorial board or of Welthungerhilfe.
As we enter 2026, I find myself wondering how global food security can be achieved in the future – in a world of growing crises, major geopolitical changes and increasingly scarce public funds. Organisations implementing international cooperation such as ours – the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ – German Organisation for International Cooperation) – face the major challenge in the area of food security of having to get more done with fewer resources in order to take a decisive step closer to SDG 2 ("End hunger and all forms of malnutrition") by 2030.
The Right to Food is in danger of being pushed into the background, yet it is one of the most frequently violated human rights worldwide. The Munich Security Conference has recognised that hunger has become a local and global security risk. Globally, almost one in twelve people are starving, and on the African continent, it is one in five. At the same time, around two billion people worldwide are affected by so-called hidden hunger. Over two billion people are overweight or obese, with significant consequences for societies, health systems and economies.
Hunger and food insecurity are the result of increasing crises and political upheavals worldwide. Violent conflicts, economic crises and the effects of climate change are the key underlying causes. Geopolitical tensions and the withdrawal of important donor countries are further exacerbating problems in already weakened agricultural and food systems. Overcoming hunger and food insecurity is therefore not a short-term task, but a long-term one that must address more systematically than currently national strategies, effective institutions, political reform processes and the preservation of ecosystems.
We support partner countries in overcoming hunger and food insecurity in a sustainable manner by pursuing cross-sectoral approaches and addressing all dimensions of food security, as well as taking into account stable framework conditions and sustainable resource use. A particular focus is placed on women of reproductive age and young children in their first 1,000 days. We promote safe and healthy food production, climate-smart resource management, and nutrition and hygiene knowledge, accompanied by social protection, income generation and policy advice. In crises, we combine short-term stabilisation with long-term strengthening of resilience, peace and reconstruction.
The OECD Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, which is now twenty years old, has lost none of its relevance. Its principles are becoming even more relevant in light of the recently published reform plan of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ): What do ownership, strategic focus, harmonisation, outcome-based orientation and mutual accountabilitymean for our work in the field of food security?
A task for society as a whole, both nationally and internationally
Effective development cooperation begins with the countries themselves taking responsibility. A strategic approach is essential in order to consistently align development measures with both national policies and international agreements, such as those reached within the framework of the Committee on World Food Security and the UN Food Systems Summit processes. The traditional donor-partner country structure has changed rapidly: important traditional donors such as the USA are withdrawing, while at the same time more actors are shaping international cooperation – often with very different interests and resources.
Ownership can no longer be reduced to government action in the narrow sense. It encompasses the responsibility of a wide range of actors within food systems – from global, national and local institutions, to the public and private sectors, to small-scale producers, fishers and aquaculture producers, consumers and entrepreneurs.
Together with our partners in the countries concerned, we facilitate reform dialogue and build institutional capacity so that actors throughout the food system can take responsibility and make effective use of development financing – also as a basis for responsible cooperation with the private sector. Food security is not only the sectoral responsibility of national ministries of agriculture, but also a cross-cutting task involving multiple departments. Through its global project ‘Food Security and Resilience Building’, GIZ supported the political governance of food security in twelve partner countries for over a decade by promoting multisectoral, multi-stakeholder cooperation for food security. In Madagascar, GIZ and Welthungerhilfe jointly assumed responsibility in regional coordination committees on food security as part of the ProSAR (Programme de Sécurité Alimentaire et de Résilience) project, thereby contributing to the implementation of the Madagascan government's goals to combat hunger and malnutrition.
Harmonisation for sustainable food security
Harmonising programmes and procedures is of paramount importance in food security. The institutional development partner landscape is highly fragmented, with many actors operating in parallel: bilateral and multilateral donors, civil society organisations, development banks, foundations and private investors. This calls for flexible, cross-sectoral alliances and coordinated instruments that enable complementary roles. Germany pursues the harmonisation approach through, among other things, its active membership in multilateral initiatives such as the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty (GAAHP), the multi-stakeholder platform within the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).
Cooperation with the private sector will also become increasingly important, as companies have key leverage within the entire food system. At the same time, private sector activities do not automatically contribute to better nutrition: aggressive marketing of highly processed foods can promote overeating, diet-related diseases and an unhealthy food environment. For GIZ, this means clearly aligning partnerships with the private sector with food security and health goals, promoting responsible business models based on the principles of engagement and compliance with standards, and drawing boundaries where economic interests run counter to these goals. In Pakistan, for example, with the support of the Gates Foundation, we are strengthening private sector approaches to flour fortification, thereby specifically improving the micronutrient supply for girls and young women.
Results-oriented management and mutual accountability
At GIZ, we are guided by the principles of results orientation and mutual accountability. These two principles are closely linked and form the basis for partnership-based cooperation that focuses on impact and learning capacity. In international food security, success is still often measured too narrowly in terms of increases in production or income. However, based on our decades of experience in partner countries, we at GIZ believe it is much more important to ensure that food systems are crisis-proof, inclusive and sustainable in the long term. In future, impact indicators must therefore focus more strongly on aspects such as dietary diversity, food quality, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
Our day-to-day work is characterised by uncertainties and changing conditions. For GIZ, this means that we are constantly refining our programmes based on the findings of our evaluations in order to achieve the desired outcomes. This also requires the courage to regularly question our existing monitoring systems. Digital solutions facilitate results-oriented management and significantly enhance the transparency and mutual accountability of our implementation work in food security. As part of the Multisectoral Food and Nutrition Security Project Cambodia, digital applications have been introduced nationwide in Cambodia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture to monitor the growth of young children (growth monitoring), train specialist staff and support farmers with nutrition-sensitive advice. For local people, this means better access to health and nutrition information.
In addition, GIZ uses digital and data-based approaches to strengthen knowledge and skills along the entire value chain – from food production and marketing to consumption – thereby reducing the digital divide. The added value is evident in people's everyday lives, for example when farmers access up-to-date weather and price information, health centres are supported in providing nutritional advice and growth monitoring, or digital advisory services provide reliable information on nutrition – while protecting sensitive data and ensuring self-determined access for marginalised groups.
In terms of food security, this also means openly addressing uncomfortable truths – such as global trade practices or working conditions in food production that disadvantage people in the Global South as well as in the Global North. The focus remains on food-insecure populations and small-scale producers, but this is not enough: a credible accountability architecture must systematically include the responsibility of all actors along the food system value chain. Only when responsibility is identified and demanded can the transformation of food systems towards greater resilience, justice and sustainability succeed.
Outlook
Food security is a joint political and social task in which different actors within food systems pursue sometimes diverging interests. The principles of the Paris Declaration remain a key strategic compass for international cooperation. In order to move closer to the SDG2 target by 2030, partnership-based cooperation on an equal footing between governments, business, science and civil society is required, closely linked to national and international strategies.
In view of shrinking development budgets and a stronger regional focus, the harmonisation of programmes and measures is becoming increasingly important. Results orientation and mutual accountability form the basis for effective partnerships.
GIZ will apply these principles even more consistently in future – not as a technocratic checklist, but in an evidence-based, transparent manner and in dialogue with our partners. We stand ready to play an active, coordinated and forward-looking role in shaping international food security in this changed environment.
