Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge – Q&A

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge is a non-binding initiative launched ahead of the September 2021 UN Food Systems Summit to align private sector operations and investments with evidence-based interventions to end hunger. Companies participating in the pledge must make financial commitments in specific high-impact areas and priority countries, comply with international human rights and agricultural principles, and agree to public progress tracking by the World Benchmarking Alliance. As of September 20, 2021, 42 companies have pledged over USD 345 million across 34 countries. The initiative focuses on three key pillars: empowering the excluded, investing in food producers, and reducing losses while supporting SMEs, with a planned sunset date in 2030.

• The pledge was established to address rising global hunger, which affected up to 811 million people according to the SOFI 2021 report, and to bridge a funding gap identified by the Ceres2030 report, which stated that an additional USD 33 billion in annual spending is required to reduce the hungry population to under 170 million by 2030.
• To participate, companies must fulfill four requirements: make a financial commitment in at least one of 10 high-impact intervention areas and one priority country or region; name implementing organizations; comply with host state laws and international principles (such as the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights); and agree to public progress tracking by the World Benchmarking Alliance.
• Financial commitments can take the form of cash, in-kind contributions, subsidized contributions, or core business investments. These must target three strategic areas: empowering the excluded (marginalized populations and small producers), investing in food producers (sustainable on-farm practices), and reducing losses and supporting SMEs (increasing productivity and income).
• The pledge identifies specific high-priority countries for investment, including Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Sudan, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• As of September 20, 2021, the initiative has secured pledges from 42 companies totaling more than USD 345 million across 34 countries.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge – Q&A. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-09/zero-hunger-private-sector-pledge-qa_1.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge – Q&A. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-09/zero-hunger-private-sector-pledge-qa_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge – Q&A |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-09/zero-hunger-private-sector-pledge-qa_1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndzero, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge – Q\&A}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-09/zero-hunger-private-sector-pledge-qa_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }