G20 Interfaith Forum and the Borlaug Dialogue
By coincidence, two influential international forums related to hunger and poverty were back-to-back this year. The G20 Interfaith Forum was in Salt Lake City (October 15-17) and the World Food Prize Foundation’s Borlaug Dialogue was held in Des Moines (October 19-22). My presentations in both forums stressed the negative impact of current U.S. government policies on people in need worldwide and the importance of our upcoming elections.
The G20 Interfaith Forum addressed the issues that the U.S. government has put on the agenda for this year’s Group of 20 meeting, notably artificial intelligence. The Interfaith Forum also discussed poverty, hunger, and other aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals. These issues have long been on the agendas of the annual Group of 20 meetings. But the United States government is hosting the G20 Summit this year (at Mar-a-Lago) and nothing related to hunger and poverty are on the agenda that our government has put on the agenda for this year.
The world made some progress on the Sustainable Development Goals since they were adopted by the nations of the world in 2015. But progress against hunger and poverty has slowed dramatically. We don’t have data for 2026 yet, but it will almost certainly document increasing poverty in the world.
In my view, the main cause of the current slowdown is that a number of governments, most importantly the U.S. government, don’t consider what happens to poor people a priority. The Trump administration slashed international aid and domestic programs. Mass deportation program has made many families poorer. It disrupted global efforts on climate change. It also disrupted global trade, with tariffs increasing prices and slowing economic growth. The shifting policies of our government have stalled any progress toward peace for Ukraine. Finally, the United States and Israel attacked Iran, leading to war and misery in the Middle East and yet higher prices in our country and around the world.
I shared this perspective at both forums, focusing on hunger at the World Food Prize
Foundation’s Borlaug Dialogue. I also urged the Americans at these two forums and people we reached through news media to consider the needs of hungry and poor people at the voting booth.
Both these forums were held in traditionally conservative states. But this year the Iowa races for governor and senator, as well as four of five House races are competitive. A Democrat is likely to win the House election in Salt Lake City. I am also encouraged by increasingly progressive attitudes in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Pictured below: I am pictured with Heather Taylor, interim president of Bread for the World, at the World Food Prize Foundation’s Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa. During the event, I also signed copies of my new book, Poverty Abolitionists, including one for actor and longtime social justice advocate Martin Sheen, who delivered the keynote address.
