The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, delivered a speech at the World Food Forum 2026 on October 12 highlighting the role of public policies and school feeding in reducing hunger. In 2026, the country exited the FAO Hunger Map.
“School feeding increased from 1.7 million students in 2019 to more than 2.2 million in 2026,” he said. “Behind all these programmes, there is something very complex. There is a mother who knows that her child eats at school, a family that can cook, and an older person who finds a warm meal.”
Abinader pointed out that talking about hunger means talking about freedom. “What freedom does a person have when all their decisions are conditioned by the need to secure their next meal? What ability does a child have to decide what they want to be when they grow up when their development is shaped from their earliest years? What future can a family build when all its energy is devoted simply to surviving?”
He also stressed that the work does not end with the country’s exit from the Hunger Map and that institutions must continue working together to reduce hunger. “We must move towards healthy and affordable diets, improve food and nutrition education, and combat malnutrition.”