President Williams Ruto's Parting Shot at Dakar 2 Summit Fails to Make Impact

At the recent Dakar 2 Summit in Senegal, President Williams Ruto of [country] delivered a powerful parting shot to the assembled Heads of State. He noted that it was unfortunate that 60 years after independence, food insecurity was still an issue and that agricultural development should be prioritized as a means of creating jobs. However, despite his passionate plea for action, it appears that his words fell on deaf ears. The summit itself was largely focused on economic issues such as trade agreements and foreign investment. While these topics are important, they do not address the underlying causes of poverty and hunger in many parts of the world. Furthermore, many leaders seemed more interested in discussing their own domestic policies than engaging with President Ruto's message. This lack of engagement highlights how little progress has been made towards addressing global poverty since independence six decades ago. President Ruto's call for action is particularly relevant given the current global pandemic which has caused unprecedented levels of food insecurity across the world. Millions have lost their jobs due to lockdowns and other measures put in place to contain the virus; this has only exacerbated existing inequalities between rich and poor countries. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that any meaningful steps will be taken to address this crisis at an international level anytime soon. In addition to being a missed opportunity for real change, President Ruto's parting shot also serves as a reminder of how much work still needs to be done if we are ever going to achieve true global justice and equality. With so many nations unwilling or unable to take meaningful action on this issue, it remains unclear when – or even if – progress will be made towards ending hunger and poverty around the world once and for all.