Egypt hosts historic G20 meeting on food security

Egypt hosted the G20 Task Force on Food Security from September 1 to 3, marking the first time the group has met outside of a member state.

The meeting gave Egypt an opportunity to put the famine in Gaza and the fragility of the global food system at the center of the discussion.

For three days, diplomats, ministers, and experts gathered in the Egyptian capital. Ragui El-Etreby, Egypt’s presidential representative to the G20, called the event a “historic milestone” and stressed the importance of addressing the priorities of developing nations, especially in Africa.

From the start, Egypt focused on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where it claims a “systematic policy of hunger” is in place. Egyptian officials stated that over 5,400 trucks of food and medical aid are stuck in the Sinai Peninsula. The figures presented at the meeting revealed that at least 340 people, including children, have already died from malnutrition, and 600,000 are at risk of a catastrophic famine.