"There is no sovereignty without food justice," says Wellington Dias.

247 - Brazil was officially removed from the Hunger Map by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as announced this Monday (28), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the 2nd UN Food Systems Summit. According to the report The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (SOFI 2025)The country managed to reduce the proportion of the population suffering from undernourishment to less than 2,5% between 2022 and 2024.

This achievement represents a historic milestone for Brazil and highlights the resumption of effective public policies, such as the Brazil Without Hunger Plan. “Getting off the Hunger Map was President Lula's primary objective when he began his term in January 2023. The goal was to do this by the end of 2026. We have shown that, with the Brazil Without Hunger Plan, a lot of hard work and robust public policies, it was possible to achieve this goal in just two years,” stated the Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Wellington Dias. He added: “There is no sovereignty without food justice. And there is no social justice without democracy.”

Reverse path: from regression to recovery - Brazil had already been removed from the Hunger Map in 2014, after more than a decade of structural social actions. However, between 2018 and 2020, with the dismantling of public policies aimed at food security, the country once again appeared among the nations with high rates of undernourishment. The situation worsened in 2022, considered one of the most critical periods in relation to hunger.

The return to the fight against hunger came with the new cycle of social policies implemented from 2023 onwards, which included not only income transfer, but also support for family farming, job creation, strengthening school feeding programs, and increasing the minimum wage.

Reducing poverty and inequality In addition to overcoming severe hunger, Brazil also recorded unprecedented social indicators. In 2023, the extreme poverty rate was reduced to 4,4%, the lowest level ever recorded, with approximately 10 million people leaving this condition since 2021. By the end of 2023, approximately 24 million Brazilians had been lifted out of severe food insecurity, according to IBGE data based on the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA).

In 2024, the unemployment rate fell to 6,6%, the lowest since 2012, while per capita household income reached R$ 2.020, a historical record. Social inequality also decreased, with the Gini index reaching 0,506 — the lowest level since the beginning of the series.

Another striking statistic is found in the profile of formal employment: of the 1,7 million new jobs with formal contracts in 2024, 98,8% were filled by people registered in the Unified Registry. Of this total, 75,5% were beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família program. With the increase in income and formalization, approximately one million families rose above the poverty line and stopped receiving the benefit in July 2025.

Integrated public policies and concrete results. According to Wellington Dias, Brazil's achievement was made possible thanks to the coordination between various social programs. "This victory is the result of effective public policies, such as the Brazil Without Hunger Plan, which includes Bolsa Família, the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), the Solidarity Kitchen Program, the increase in the minimum wage, credit for food production by family farming (PRONAF), incentives for professional training, employment and entrepreneurship, as well as the improvement of school meals," the minister listed.

He highlighted that all these actions function as a coordinated mechanism to guarantee food sovereignty and social development in the country. "All social policies working together to have a Brazil without hunger and sovereign," he emphasized.

International cooperation: Brazil leads Global Alliance - The Brazilian example now serves as inspiration for the world. In 2024, during its presidency of the G20, the country launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. The initiative seeks to mobilize governments, international organizations, and financial institutions to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the eradication of hunger by 2030. Currently, the Alliance already includes 101 countries and dozens of institutions.

“The Brazilian example can be adapted in many countries around the globe. In Brazil, getting off the Hunger Map is just the beginning. We want food justice, sovereignty, and well-being for all,” declared Wellington Dias.