At the meeting of the G8 Development ministers in Rome on June 12th 2009, the Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP), Josette Sheeran emphasized how imperative it is to earnestly tackle the problem of hunger in the world.
In her address to the G8, Josette Sheeran also highlighted that “with one out of 6 people dying of hunger in the world, a child dies every 6 seconds, and with 80% of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, having faced increase in food prices over the past year, the poor and undernourished are facing one of the most serious crises of our generation.” She added: “it is imperative that the international community becomes aware that undernourishment will have irreparable consequences on children, and could cause an entire age group to be lost, if nothing is done.”
A particularly piercing warning, that shows the urgency in acting and eradicating world hunger, once and for all. While it is fitting that the WFP asks rich countries to not cut the funds that finance emergency food aid, as it is its mandate, we must also remember that the lasting fight against the scourge of hunger, takes place, first and foremost, though the development of sustainable and durable world agriculture. As Marc Gentilini, former President of the Academy of Medicine, education, treatment, and nourishment are the foundation for development, but a lack of food is all it takes to jeopardize education and treatment. |