Hunger is one of the biggest global challenges. Climate change and unjust structures exacerbate the situation of many smallholder farmers, who produce the majority of the world's food. With SDG 2, we want to ensure that all people have enough food at all times and can eat a healthy and balanced diet. Misereor promotes sustainable agriculture in order to ensure food security, increase the income of small farmers and protect natural resources. We are committed to sustainable food production and support measures that preserve the genetic diversity of crops, livestock and domestic animals. Only through such holistic approaches can we combat hunger in the long term and create fairer structures.

Where do we stand? After 20 years of decline, the number of hungry people has been rising again for some time. The main causes are conflicts such as those in Syria and Yemen as well as the war in Ukraine, which is having a massive impact on the global food supply. Added to this are crop failures due to climate change, plagues of locusts in East Africa and the consequences of the coronavirus crisis, which disrupted supply chains and made food production more difficult. Children in particular are increasingly suffering from malnutrition.

With SDG 3, we aim to enable all people to lead a healthy life and have access to comprehensive healthcare - regardless of their income, origin or place of residence. The aim is to reduce maternal and child mortality, combat communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and recognise and treat non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases at an early stage. Misereor is committed to strengthening health systems worldwide, making medicines and vaccines accessible and expanding sexual and reproductive health services - especially in disadvantaged regions. The right of girls and women to self-determination in family planning and access to contraceptives are a particular focus here. The aim is to promote healthcare systems worldwide that protect people from health crises without causing them financial hardship.

Where do we stand? Great progress has been made in healthcare worldwide in recent decades - for example in reducing child mortality and expanding immunisation campaigns. However, the coronavirus pandemic and other ongoing crises have exacerbated existing inequalities. Health services were interrupted, women and children received poorer care in many places and mental illnesses increased. At the same time, it became clear how inadequately prepared many healthcare systems are for global challenges. In order to achieve SDG 3, public health facilities must be strengthened, access to basic medical care expanded and more invested in prevention. Misereor is working with partner organisations to enforce health as a human right worldwide - for more justice, resilience and dignity.

With SDG 4, we want to ensure equal access to high-quality education for all people - from early childhood development to vocational and academic education. Misereor is committed worldwide to ensuring that children and young people in disadvantaged regions in particular receive free and equitable education so that they can successfully complete primary and secondary education. We attach particular importance to promoting the technical skills of young people so that they have access to decent work and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Education is the key to development and equal opportunities. That is why we also support programmes that teach basic literacy and numeracy skills and enable learners to play an active role in shaping sustainable development.

Where do we stand? Despite rising completion rates, progress in access to education was already slowing before the coronavirus pandemic. Without additional measures, only a fraction of countries will achieve SDG 4 by 2030. Girls continue to have fewer opportunities for education in many places, and the pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities - disadvantaged girls in particular are more at risk of dropping out of school. In order to realise SDG 4, new education concepts and greater investment are needed. A better data basis is also required, as many countries do not yet provide comparable information on the education situation.

With SDG 6, we are striving to provide all people with access to safe and affordable drinking water as well as adequate sanitation and hygiene. As around 2 billion people worldwide have no access to clean water, Misereor is committed to sustainably improving living conditions, particularly in disadvantaged regions, through the construction of wells and sanitary facilities. In addition to supplying people with water, the aim is also to improve water quality through treatment and safe reuse, to make water utilisation more efficient and to protect water-related ecosystems. Misereor promotes approaches for the integrated management of water resources in order to create long-term solutions to the global water crisis.

Where do we stand? Although access to clean water and sanitation was recognised as a human right in 2010, billions of people around the world still lack it. In urban areas in particular, supply is stagnating or even deteriorating, while progress has been made in rural regions. Conflicts, climate change and increasing water pollution are exacerbating the water crisis, particularly in West Asia and North Africa. In order to achieve SDG 6, significantly higher investment in infrastructure is required. Misereor is helping to meet these challenges by building wells and sanitary facilities and at the same time promoting sustainable concepts for water utilisation.

With SDG 13, we are endeavouring to take decisive action against climate change and limit its consequences for people and the environment. The aim is to limit the global temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius and to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by the middle of the century. In order to achieve this, not only must the political framework conditions in industrialised, emerging and developing countries be improved, but economic and social processes must also be consistently geared towards climate protection. Misereor is committed to ensuring that the ecological course is set, for example in the context of economic reconstruction after crises - and that people in the Global South are not left alone: They are particularly hard hit by climate-related extreme weather events such as droughts, floods or heatwaves. This is why Misereor supports partner organisations in protecting vulnerable communities against climate risks and developing sustainable local solutions. International commitment - for example through fair climate financing and the involvement of the private sector - is also crucial to implementing the Paris Climate Agreement.

Where do we stand? According to the United Nations, the world is heading towards a climate catastrophe - with drastic consequences for people and nature. The coronavirus pandemic did lead to a temporary reduction in global emissions in 2020. However, CO₂ levels rose to a record high again in 2021 - and this trend continued in the following years. Heatwaves, droughts, floods and forest fires are already affecting millions of people worldwide and changing entire ecosystems. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global emissions would have to fall by 43 per cent by 2030 in order to achieve the 1.5-degree target. However, the current national climate plans are not enough to achieve this - instead, emissions could continue to rise over the next ten years. There is only a narrow window of opportunity to take the necessary measures at global level. Misereor is therefore working hard to strengthen climate justice, promote transformative processes and make the voices of the most affected people worldwide heard.