As of May, 24, 2022, 43 companies have pledged a promising USD 458 million in 48 countries as part of the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge.
The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge is an opportunity for companies and investment funds to align their investments with new evidence and commitments by donors, governments, and global institutions to end hunger and nourish the future by 2030.
What are we asking companies to do?
The pledge encourages companies to make an investment in at least one of the 10 high-impact intervention areas from the Ceres2030 evidence and in at least one of the priority countries or regions. The company has to name the partners it will work with to achieve the action.
The pledge requires companies to comply with host state laws and regulations, and commit to internationally accepted principles, including but not limited to:
- the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS-RAI)
- the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes
- the Principles of the UN Global Compact
- the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights
Why are we asking companies to pledge?
Across the world, up to 811 million people do not have enough food. Over the past years, consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have further deteriorated the situation by pushing millions of vulnerable people into greater food insecurity. According to recent estimates, 45 million people in 43 countries are at risk of sliding into famine – the most extreme form of hunger. The consequence of diets lacking vitamins and other nutrients are affecting millions more, and casting a shadow over the future of communities and entire countries.
If we cannot deliver on ending hunger and malnutrition, then we have not transformed food systems. This is the litmus test.
A specific set of investments - described by new evidence from Ceres2030, Program of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation (PARI) 2020, and the State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) 2021 are needed to end hunger. These reports show that donors must double current public spending. Governments have to juggle multiple priorities due to the pandemic and the associated economic downturn. This is why large companies can and should step in to increase efforts toward achieving zero hunger by 2030. Transforming food systems to end hunger and malnutrition, ensure safe and nutritious food for all, support sustainable consumption shifts, reduce carbon emissions, generate decent and dignified livelihoods, and build resilience to future shocks requires more and better private sector investments.
Whose idea was the pledge?
The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge is a game-changing solution that emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Action Track 1. The implementing organizations are a coalition of international organizations, namely: including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Grow Africa, Grow Asia, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the World Benchmarking Alliance, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Food Programme.
To date, we have mobilized several supporting companies and organized a parallel session during the UNFSS pre-Summit in July, which laid the groundwork for a high-level pledging moment from companies at the Summit in September.
The signing of this pledge does not constitute an endorsement by implementing organizations of the company or its activities. The implementing organizations of this pledge are not directly affiliated with the companies through the signing of this pledge. The implementing organizations of this pledge reserve the right to revoke or suspend the pledge if the company fails to comply with the governing principles of the pledge.
If you are a company and you would like to be part of the official launch on 21 September 2021 please fill in your pledge by midnight CET on Sunday 19 September 2021. Companies can pledge at any time and can pledge multiple times. This initiative will end on 31 December 2030.
| # | Company Name | Total Commitment (USD)* | Countries and/or Regions |
| 1 | AFCO Investment Co. Ltd | 34,480 | Tanzania |
| 2 | AGREA Agricultural Systems International, Inc. | 1,030,640 | Philippines |
| 3 | Agrinutrition Enterprise | tbc | Kenya |
| 4 | Airstrip Blessing Youth Group | tbc | Kenya |
| 5 | Ajinomoto Co., Inc. | 11,211,564 | Global, Africa, Thailand |
| 6 | Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S | 250,734 | Ethiopia |
| 7 | BASF | 11,190,346 | Multiple countries, such as Ethiopia, Egypt and Nigeria |
| 8 | Bayer | 160,000,000 | Multiple countries - Africa, Asia, Latin America |
| 9 | Cato Foods and Agroallied Global Concepts | 1,049,095 | Nigeria |
| 10 | ColdHubs | 5,000,000 | Nigeria |
| 11 | Delish and Nutri Ltd | 179,160 | Kenya |
| 12 | DULCET Enterprise | 7,000 | Cameroon |
| 13 | Emeci Technologies Ltd | 43,100 | Tanzania |
| 14 | EastWest Seed | 18,000,000 | Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, India and Bangladesh |
| 15 | Happi Foods Farms Limited | 1,000 | Kenya |
| 16 | Homes Industries Ltd | tbc | Malawi |
| 17 | JBS | 9,215,550 | Brazil |
| 18 | Kamsa Poultry Ltd | 90 | Kenya |
| 19 | Keelings | 2,735,016 | Morocco |
| 20 | Kinshaga Food Products and Companies Limited | 25,000 | Tanzania |
| 21 | Mamaland Mushroom Farms | 25,000 | Tanzania |
| 22 | Morination Agricultural Products | 1,820,000 | Philippines |
| 23 | Mycelia & Foods Ltd | 448 | Kenya |
| 24 | Mzuzu Dairy Ltd | 13,332 | Malawi |
| 25 | Nasinya Dairy Ltd | 420,768 | Tanzania |
| 26 | NGO 350 Côte d'Ivoire | 8,885 | Cote d'Ivoire |
| 27 | NutriCare | 83,580 | Malawi |
| 28 | Nutriset | 1,853,401 | Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, India, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sudan |
| 29 | Nutritious Agriculture Network and Consultancy Limited |
1,000 | Kenya |
| 30 | Nyangorora Banana Processors Limited | 8,958 | Kenya |
| 31 | PepsiCo | 100,000,000 | Africa, Asia, Latin America, South Africa |
| 32 | Prosoya Kenya Limited | 1,282,227 | Kenya |
| 33 | Rabobank | 96,749,863 | Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| 34 | Renman Africa | tbc | Kenya |
| 35 | Rieta AgroSciences Tanzania Ltd | 23,760 | Tanzania |
| 36 | Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition | 200,000 | Nigeria |
| 37 | Sir Hackson Processors | 50,000 | Malawi |
| 38 | Superior Mwitha | 541 | Kenya |
| 39 | Unilever | 34,969,830 | Africa, Asia, Latin America |
| 40 | United Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd | tbc | Kenya |
| 41 | Upfield | 1,894,617 | Kenya |
| 42 | Wefahson Limited | 1,000 | Kenya |
| 43 | Multiple Companies** | 110,000,000 | Africa, Asia, Latin America, Brazil, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Togo, Uganda |
| Number of Companies | Total Commitments (USD) | Number of Countries/Regions | |
| 43 | 458,000,000 | 48 |
* The pledge amounts have been converted in USD using the OANDA average rate for the last 180 days as of the latest update (19 May 2022).
**As of 19 May 2022, the total amount includes an aggregate investment worth 6m that has been pledged but the commitment not yet finalized
***Three companies have advised us of their commitment level and priority countries, but need more time before making the details public. Hence we have included this information in the overall total and will provide the additional details in the coming weeks.
Pledges can be sent to Carin Smaller, IISD csmaller@iisd.org. After the launch of the pledge, there will be a dedicated website and email address where companies can submit their pledges