Debt & food security in complex settings: exploring pathways for protracted crisis solutions
Debt is a critical yet often overlooked factor in shaping food security across complex settings. As countries grappling with protracted crises seek long-term solutions, coordinated financial strategies must be at the forefront of global discussions.
The governments of DRC, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti, alongside the g7+, the Zero Hunger Coalition and the HDP Nexus Coalition co-hosted a side event during the UNFSS+4 Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa, Debt & food security in complex settings: exploring pathways for protracted crisis solutions.
This side event, which took place on Monday, 28 July, from 13:00 to 14:15 EAT, brought together policymakers, financial institutions, and humanitarian actors to explore the intersection between debt and food systems resilience. Participants discussed how countries affected by food crises can align their positions ahead of the upcoming CFS deliberations on protracted crises, to help ensure a strong collective voice in shaping global food security policies.
The discussion highlighted country experiences, innovative financing solutions, and opportunities for strategic debt relief as a pathway to long-term resilience. It offers an opportunity for crisis-affected countries to redefine the narrative—moving beyond emergency responses to sustainable, debt-conscious solutions that strengthen food security for the future.
Debt relief is essential to achieve zero hunger
Debt burden constrains national food systems transformation. According to a recent report by UNCTAD, 3.4 billion people worldwide now live in countries that pay more to service their debts than they spend on public services such as healthcare or education.
As Hon. Jeremy Lissouba, MP from the Republic of the Congo and Secretary General of AFSPaN noted during the side-event Debt & Food Security in Complex Settings, “these large debt obligations undermine the creditworthiness of countries and limit access to concessional financing. We need to rethink our approach to debt.”
Innovative financial mechanisms were mentioned. H.E. Gregoire Mutshail Mutomb, Minister of Agriculture for the Democratic Republic of Congo, called for debt swaps to make funding available for climate-resilient agriculture and build infrastructure such as storage and irrigation systems as well as to suspend debt payments in times of crisis.
Reducing debt offers momentum to countries. In Somalia, USD 4.5 billion of debt has been forgiven, with debt now reduced to 6% of the country’s GDP. According to the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, H.E. Mohamed Abdi Hayir, the country is now establishing strong government institutions, working to reduce food insecurity, and adopting policies that prioritise investment and climate resilience. Restructuring debt is essential to unlock funding for resilience-building, especially in contexts shaped by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability.
SPEAKERS
- HE Grégoire Mutshail Mutomb, Minister of Agriculture, DRC
- HE Mohamed Abdi Hayir, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Somalia
- Harmel Cazeau, National Food Systems Convenor, Haiti
- H.E. Ms. Inaya Ezzeddine, Member of the Lebanese Parliament; Chairperson of the Women & Children and SDG 2030 Committees
Moderator: Hon. Jérémy Lissouba, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Congo and Secretary-General of the
African Food Systems Parliamentary Network (AFSPaN)
