Enhancing the Effectiveness of International Legal Frameworks on Food Security : Lessons From the World Food Programme’s Efforts

In accordance with A/RES/70/1 of the United Nations' General Assembly, Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) is dedicated to "ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture." To address this goal, and in line with the ‘[m]eans of implementation and the Global Partnership’ of this resolution, governments around the world have significantly increased their spending on this critical issue, with government expenditures accounting for 53 percent of total global government spending in 2022. Regrettably, progress toward this objective has fallen short of expectations. While those global efforts are taking place, the number of hungry people in the world went up by 122 million from 2019 to 2022 and is on the rise. Given the current trajectory, the prospects of attaining SDG 2 within the designated timeframe appear considerably less sanguine than previously anticipated and articulated. While there are multiple factors (such as government stability, natural causes, etc.) that impact food security, the focus of this research is mainly with regard to the legal limitations presented within international legal frameworks, particularly within the frameworks of the World Food Programme (WFP).

The research aims to investigate the general impact of international organization agreements on the effectiveness of global efforts to achieve SDG 2, with a specific focus on the foundational dimensions of food security, encompassing: (1) food availability; (2) food accessibility; (3) food utilization; and finally (4) stability of food availability, food accessibility, and food utilization. Through an in-depth analysis of WFP’s international agreement as a case study for this research, this study seeks to identify successes, as well as constraints and disparities that hinder progress in addressing food security, providing legal reforms to address them.