France is preparing to break a record. With $150 million for the International Fund for Agricultural Development, France would achieve the highest donation promised by a government. French President Emmanuel Macron made the promise this Saturday, September 23. The French head of state made the announcement via video during the Global Citizen festival, held in Central Park in New York, where artists such as Lauryn Hill and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed on Saturday evening.
This festival has taken place since 2012 on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly which brings together world leaders in New York. The festival offers free tickets to activists who commit to taking action, for example by writing to their governments to ask for increased international development aid.
Thousands of people gathered in Manhattan Park on Saturday afternoon, despite the cold and rain.
“We must fight together against poverty, climate change and for biodiversity,” Mr Macron said. “That’s why we also want to play our part.” IFAD, headquartered in Rome, is a United Nations agency whose mission is to fight poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.
Global Citizen welcomed, in a statement, the French commitment, adding that “much remains to be done to provide crucial support to millions of smallholder farmers around the world, who produce 70% of the food in countries low- and middle-income.” The NGO also announced that Norway had committed $90 million to IFAD.
