Why Child-Sensitive Resilience Must Be at the Heart of Global Food Systems

Andrea Galante emphasises that as world leaders debate food security and nutrition in Rome, one truth remains uncomfortable yet undeniable: without children at the centre of resilience strategies, we are merely managing decline, not building the future.

29 October 2025.

At a time when hunger and malnutrition are not only persisting but deepening, global leaders gathered in Rome for the 53rd Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS53) under the theme “Making a Difference in Food Security and Nutrition.” Yet one might contend that “difference” has become a word too easily spoken and too rarely measured. The gathering symbolised a moment of reflection, even reckoning: what kind of difference are we truly making, and for whom?

The CFS, a body born of the food crises of the 1970s, prides itself on inclusivity. It brings together governments, UN agencies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, researchers, philanthropists, and private sector actors. Theoretically, it’s the beating heart of global food governance a space where science and lived experience converge to chart the course of global nutrition and resilience. Yet, one might argue, the real measure of success lies not in the number of seats at the table, but in whose needs shape the agenda.

When Hunger Has a Child’s Face

Across fragile regions, hunger is not an abstract economic failure, it is a child going to bed with an empty stomach, a mother selling her few assets to buy food, a classroom filled with distracted minds weakened by malnutrition. World Vision, through its engagement in both the CFS and the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM), insists on placing these children at the heart of the global conversation.

Created in 2010, the CSIPM remains one of the few mechanisms where smallholder farmers, Indigenous leaders, women, and youth can influence global food policy. It’s an ambitious vision: that those most affected by hunger should not merely be beneficiaries but architects of the solutions. World Vision’s contribution a faith-rooted, child-focused lens sharpens this point. It compels policymakers to remember that every statistic in a food security report corresponds to a child’s life, dignity, and future.

From Relief to Resilience

During CFS53, World Vision convened two official side events, each a window into what “making a difference” could truly mean when global commitments are grounded in community realities.

The first, “From Saving Lives to Building Futures” explored how integrating child protection and food security can bridge humanitarian aid and long-term resilience. The logic is compelling: emergencies do not pause the need for learning, nurturing, or safety. If we protect only the body and neglect the child’s mind, social fabric, and sense of safety, we are merely postponing vulnerability.

The second, “From Fragility to Resilience” turned to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (GAAHP) an emerging framework for collective action. It argued, persuasively, that child-sensitive, community-driven livelihoods are not a moral luxury but a practical imperative. By linking local realities with international investment, the Alliance can help build food systems that absorb shocks without collapsing under them.

The Politics of Inclusion

As delegates elected Professor Anas A. Al-Nabulsi of Jordan as the new Chairperson of the CFS, the discourse tilted towards innovation and inclusive transformation. Yet innovation, however well-intentioned, risks becoming an echo chamber of technology without touch. Central to this claim is an assumption that warrants scrutiny that innovation alone can solve systemic inequities.

Resilience cannot be engineered from the top down. It must be cultivated from the ground up, in the soil of communities where hunger is lived, not studied. Here, civil society and Indigenous networks serve as both conscience and compass. Their wisdom is not a complement to data; it is its necessary counterpart.

Building Futures That Last

World Vision’s engagement across global food security platforms and alliances shows how collaboration between governments, civil society, and faith-based partners can move beyond words to real, lasting impact. It reflects how evidence, policy, and shared human values can unite to deliver enduring and compassionate solutions to hunger and malnutrition.

Still, one might ask: what will it take for global actors to act not in response to crisis, but in anticipation of resilience? Perhaps it begins by placing children not at the periphery of policy, but at its core.

If governments, donors, and partners are serious about ending hunger, the path forward is clear:

• Invest in child-sensitive, community-driven resilience.
• Embed children’s needs and voices in every national food security plan.
• Hold global actors accountable not for their promises, but for their progress.

Because resilience, when stripped of its jargon, is nothing more than the capacity to protect what we love and the courage to build what comes next.

Andrea Galante is World Vision’s Senior Advisor for Coalitions and Emerging Global Partnerships. She holds a Master’s degree and a PhD in Nutrition and brings more than 30 years of experience in global advocacy, including at the United Nations, G7, and G20. Andrea has served in senior roles at the United Nations, coordinated nutrition graduate and master’s programs in São Paulo, and, as President of the Brazilian Nutrition Association, strengthened civil society’s voice in shaping Brazil’s hunger and nutrition policies