WCC NEWS: WCC, Caritas, World Vision issue open letter against hunger at webinar

For the first time, the leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Caritas Internationalis, and World Vision International have cosigned a joint open letter calling on governments, multilateral institutions, and faith communities to act urgently on global hunger and malnutrition. The letter brings together three of the world’s largest faith-based organisations in a common public stand.  Harold Segura, World Vision's Regional Director of Faith & Development for Latin America and the Caribbean - and an artist - has provided a work of art from which this webinar takes its name. This piece shows open hands holding loaves and fish in a circle – not hoarding, not scarcity, but gift and possibility. 04 June 2026 “Hunger amid abundance is a moral failure,” the letter reads. “No one should suffer or die, especially children, because political decisions prioritise war, division, and short-term interests over human life and the common good.”  The letter is cosigned by Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary; Alistair Dutton, secretary general of Caritas Internationalis; and Andrew Morley, president and CEO of World Vision International.  The joint statement comes ahead of a 90-minute online webinar marking World Hunger Day, titled “Give your loaves and fish,” the 2026 annual campaign of the Prayer and Action Against Hunger Coalition. It runs on 9 June from 14:30 to 16:00 CEST. The letter identifies conflict, displacement, economic instability, and climate shocks as the principal drivers of a crisis that has left approximately 318 million people facing crisis-level hunger in 2026 so far, according to the Global Report on Food Crises 2026. An estimated 673 million people – 8.2% of the global population – experienced hunger in 2024, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025.  The three organisations call on governments to protect humanitarian access and uphold international humanitarian law, safeguard child nutrition programmes, protect global food supply chains, and prioritise peacebuilding over militarisation.  Webinar registration  “Give your loaves and fish” campaign landing page  Campaign artwork by Harold Segura   WCC event page  State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (FAO)  Global Report on Food Crises 2026 (GNFC) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland