In New York, President Lula receives award for policies to fight hunger and poverty

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received an award on Monday, September 23, for the policies to combat hunger and poverty implemented during his three terms as President of Brazil. The recognition was given at the annual Goalkeepers award ceremony, organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in New York, United States.

“My desire to combat global hunger stems directly from my background. I was born in a very poor state in the Northeast and, when I was seven years old, my mother had to move from the Northeast to São Paulo, with eight young children, to make sure her children survived,” said President Lula at the beginning of his speech.

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Before presenting President Lula with the award, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates praised the Brazilian leader's work in tackling hunger. “President Lula, your journey from experiencing hunger as a child to becoming a global leader is truly inspiring. Your work shows us that we can all have the vision that concrete programs can really generate incredible progress to let every child grow and thrive,” Gates said.

Lula said that the persistence of hunger in the world is unacceptable, and called on global leaders to take action to end it. “It's unacceptable that, in the 21st century, in a high-tech world, there are children who go to bed at night without having eaten, and get up in the morning without a loaf of bread and butter for breakfast. Hunger is not a phenomenon of nature: hunger is the irresponsibility of the world's rulers who don't want to see the poorest people, who don't take care of the need to distribute food,” he said.

PUBLIC POLICIES — The President mentioned the Bolsa Família program and the policy of raising the minimum wage as examples of Brazilian measures to combat hunger and poverty. “The Bolsa Família program, I would say, without fear of misspeaking, is possibly the most successful experience in the fight against hunger in the world,” he said. Lula recalled that he had tried to take the program to African and Latin American countries, but pointed out that “it can only be implemented if the government makes that political decision.”

Lula also emphasized his determination to remove Brazil from the hunger list by the end of his third term as president, in 2026. “We managed to end hunger in 2014, and after I returned to the presidency in 2023, we found 33 million people hungry again. We've already lifted 24.5 million people [out of hunger], and by 2026, I hope to present the world with a hunger-free Brazil,” he said.

GLOBAL ALLIANCE — The president also underscored that public policies are needed to resolve the world’s poverty problem. On that regard, he pointed out that the Brazilian presidency of the G20 will launch the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty during the group’s Leaders' Summit, scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Rio de Janeiro. “At the G20, we are going to discuss three important things: the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, energy transition and global governance,” he said.

ENTITY — Founded in 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the world's largest private charities. It is responsible for the Goalkeepers event, which, in its 2024 edition, highlights solutions to keep people healthy and nourished in a rapidly warming world.