Campaign highlights global food crisis with #EmptyPlates, as UN releases deepening hunger report

Hunger campaigners, activists and chefs around the world are launching a new campaign on 25th July to highlight the global food crisis.

The #EmptyPlates initiative is organised by World Vision’s partner Hungry for Action, a campaign to end the global food crisis. It is calling on governments to action a global plan to tackle the deepening crisis.

It uses the idea of an empty plate to symbolise the reality for hundreds of millions of people who are going hungry in the world today.

Events in London and Rio de Janeiro will mark this launch, where food trucks will take empty plates, inscribed with slogans about the food crisis, to prominent locations. Activists and members of the public can take photos with the plates and post on social media with the hashtag #EmptyPlates.   

The campaign is timed to coincide with the release, on 24th July, of the United Nations’ annual State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report which is shows global hunger has continued to increase due to conflict, climate change and economic pressures. The new report reveals around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the report published today by five United Nations specialised agencies.

Also on 24th July, Brazil, as President of the G20 group of the world’s largest economies, will announce a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. The Hungry for Action campaign is urging governments to support it as a positive step towards global collaboration.

Andrew Morley, World Vision International President and CEO, quote:

“No child should starve. Our humanity compels us to feed our children. The reality of child hunger is utterly heart-breaking – and it is getting much worse. Children across the world tell us about the devastating impact of hunger and malnutrition every single day. It makes girls and boys ill, forces them to drop out of school, and robs them of their God-given potential in life. Our global ENOUGH campaign highlights that there is enough food in the world for everyone. So let us unite to achieve zero hunger for every child, everywhere.”

Quote from the Hungry for Action campaign:

“These empty plates represent the daily reality for hundreds of millions of people, from Gaza to Sudan, who are going hungry. We want to show the leaders of the world’s richest countries that people everywhere are outraged by hunger and malnutrition and want their governments to take urgent, coordinated action to stop it.”

Media contact: Helen Palmer on hpalmer@webershandwick.com or +44 7912 242394

Spokespeople for interview include:

From the Hungry for Action campaign:

• Paul Newnham, CEO, SDG2 Advocacy Hub, Hungry for Action campaign
• Asma Lateef, Chief of Policy and Advocacy Impact, SDG2 Advocacy Hub / Hungry for Action campaign
• Keren Allen, Chief of Strategy, SDG Advocacy Hub / Hungry for Action campaign
• Niamh Cooper, Director of Public Engagement, World Vision International
• John Makoni, Sudan crisis lead, World Vision International