Pledges

To register your own “Pledge to End Hunger”, download the
Pledge to End Hunger form and send it to the International Alliance Secretariat at iaah@fao.org.

The focus of the International Alliance Against Hunger and of National Alliances Against Hunger is on practical action. Pledges to End Hunger are intended to underpin this action orientation. In making a Pledge to End hunger, an Alliance member is declaring a commitment to achieve a time-bound goal as its contribution towards eradicating global hunger. Members will hold themselves accountable for achieving the goals which they set. Making a Pledge to End Hunger – even a very modest one – is a condition for membership of the Alliance at any level. The idea of Pledges to End hunger is consistent with the Millennium Development Goals which are similar precise time-bound provides a means of translating the time-bound global Millennium Development Goals – especially those for hunger and poverty reduction – into local institutional commitments.

The concept of a Pledge to End Hunger is largely self-explanatory. It implies setting a goal or set of goals (wherever possible with quantified targets) to be achieved within a finite period. Each member must decide on the time horizon appropriate for each goal as some types of action require much more time to have an impact than others. However, it is suggested that the target period should not normally exceed 3 years, so as to keep a focus on immediate action. Each year a date should be set for reporting on progress. For the IAAH, this will be during the meeting of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). For many National Alliances, World Food Day (October 16th) would be a suitable date. Other countries may choose a locally symbolic date – for instance Sierra Leone marks the anniversary of the President’s pledge to end hunger within his term of office on 19th May each year.

The way in which pledges are expressed is bound to vary enormously but should be kept very simple. Wherever the action has a direct impact on individuals, the target number of persons affected should be mentioned. For example:

Provide daily school lunches for 120,000 primary school children by 31 Dec 2006
Engage 250 communities (40,000 persons) in community-based food security programmes by World Food Day 2007

For indirect action, the pledge should still relate to a clearly described action or intended outcome. For example:

Right to Food legislation approved by parliament before next general election (date)
Release of new drought-resistant maize variety by (date)

The IAAH website will provide space within which members, including National Alliances, can record their Pledge to End Hunger and report on results. National Alliances are encouraged to make similar space available on their own websites. For the purposes of recording pledges, Alliances and their members may wish to adopt a standard form. A suggested format is attached. They may also wish to enhance their public accountability by informing the media of pledges and achievements through articles or advertisements.

The achievement of many goals will be dependent on joint action by various entities which may therefore make similar pledges. For instance, WFP may provide food for a national school feeding programme with a goal which is identical to that of the Ministry of Education, and various NGOs may serve as intermediaries in managing the programme. Adding up pledges will, therefore, have to be avoided so as not to overstate commitments at a national or international level.

Both at the international and national level, however, Alliances may wish to set themselves goals and call upon their members to contribute towards them. This implies that within an Alliance there would be both Pledges to End Hunger made by individual members as well as by the Alliance as a whole.

The process of arriving at Pledges to End Hunger offers a valuable opportunity for large institutions, such as government departments, large NGOs, businesses or UN agencies which are members of Alliances, to engage the full commitment of their staff to hunger eradication. Each unit within such an organisation could be invited to engage its staff in arriving at its own pledge within the broader corporate framework in which it operates. The public recording of pledges increases accountability, contributes to solidarity between institutions striving for a common goal, and ensures recognition for good work.

The recording of a pledge has no legally binding significance. It is simply a voluntary act to record a practical commitment towards eradicating hunger. It is entirely consistent with the concept of accountability which is embedded in the recently approved voluntary guidelines on the right to food.