From: emmanuel (emmanuel@bayou.com)
Date: Sun Sep 21 2008 - 04:48:37 EDT
Published on Saturday, September 20, 2008 by OneWorld.net
*World Hunger Outstripping Aid Efforts
*by Alison Raphael
WASHINGTON - Nations worldwide are falling short of the hunger and
poverty targets adopted at the start of the millennium, and as a result
millions are suffering needlessly, warns a report released ahead of next
week's UN summit to measure progress toward the Millennium Development
Goals.
The report from the humanitarian group CARE International criticizes
wealthy countries for not coming through on their pledges of aid, or
sending the aid too late to make a difference. It also points out that
the recent spike in food prices worldwide has shifted the goalposts for
ending poverty and hunger.
The first of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG 1) agreed to by
world leaders at the beginning of 2000 is to cut poverty and hunger in
half by 2015. But both the United Nations and CARE agree that despite
some progress, by this year's mid-way point the goal is in danger of not
being met.
Of particular concern are the economic slowdown and food emergency that
began to be felt in 2007. On average globally, food costs rose by 83
percent over the past three years, causing poor families to eat less and
remove children from school to work or beg, and provoking numerous food
riots, according to the CARE report.
In his introduction to the UN's 2008 MDG Report, Secretary-General Ban
Ki-Moon acknowledges that the economic slowdown and food crisis are of
"uncertain magnitude and duration," and will "push millions more into
poverty."
Since the poor spend close to 80 percent of their income on food, rising
food costs combined with stagnant economic growth in many countries
inevitably set back progress on MDG 1.
CARE's report, entitled "Living on the Edge of Emergency: Paying the
Price of Inaction" found that some 220 million people are "on the edge
of emergency" in 2008, almost twice as many as in 2006.
That year CARE prepared a similar report, urging international agencies
and donors to focus on poverty prevention by funding disaster
preparedness, strengthening livelihoods, and building the resilience of
the poor to cope with emergencies.
For the most part, aid patterns remained unchanged however, and two
years later Geoffrey Dennis, director of CARE International notes
angrily: "The world's inaction on food emergencies has proved costly and
it is the world's poorest people -- stripped of enough to eat -- who are
paying the price."
"It is a disgrace that, despite warnings, money is still being spent in
the wrong ways," Dennis added.
CARE makes three main recommendations to governments and aid agencies
seeking to turn the situation around:
Meet existing aid commitments, and then commit new funds because 100
million more people are now hungry;
Support food production and the provision of long-term social safety nets;
Do a better job of coordinating emergency aid and traditional
development assistance, and make sure funds are provided in a timely manner.
The UN report also calls for "greater financial commitment" on the part
of developed countries and urges them to meet pledges already made.
If economic progress does not increase in developing countries and food
prices remain high, then progress to date would "no longer be a good
indicator of future prospects" for achieving the antipoverty and hunger
goals, warns Sha Zu-Kang, UN Under-Secretary for Social and Economic
Affairs.
One factor not mentioned by either report is the economic slowdown now
materializing in the United States, which is likely to impact every
country of the world and may place serious constraints on the ability
and willingness of wealthier countries to increase overseas aid.
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