Notes from Archie Law, CEO of ActionAid Australia
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With the G8 giving the Arab Spring top-billing at its annual meeting in Deauville, France last week, development experts are concerned that new aid commitments in Northern Africa and the Middle East will divert attention away from the resurgent global food crisis.
Ironically, those same food shortages may have been key motivators behind this year’s uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: archie law, Food Rights, g8, senegal
The issue of food security has been rapidly growing in importance over the last few years and has played an important role in many political events, such as the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Even back in 2009, Hilary Clinton noted that there had been over sixty food riots in the preceding two years, arguing that ‘massive hunger poses a threat to the stability of governments, societies and borders’.
As the world’s population is tipped to reach 9 billion by 2050, and with food prices estimated to hit the highest point since 1990 , it is incredibly important to figure out how we can feed ourselves sustainably.
But importantly the question isn’t so much, how do we make enough food to feed the world (the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates there’s enough food produced currently to feed 12 billion people), but rather how to ensure equale access to food, and the land required to produce it.
A small Congolese child at a refugee camp holds a banana. When this photo was taken, disputes over land and resources were common and it was difficult to get adequate food supplies at refugee camps.
Tags: actionaid, Africa, climate change, conflict, Food Rights, Milennium Development Goals
The COP 16 talks in Cancún have been quietly proceeding with none of the busy fanfare of that seen in Copenhagen last year. There have been a number of concerns about the talks in Cancún, including the lack of participation from the world’s poor.
According to UN reports, it is the poor who are bearing the brunt of climate change. Failure to reach any type of meaningful agreement will consequently relegate the poorest of the world’s population to a ‘future of dimished opportunity’. Climate change shocks significantly impact upon the 2.6 billion people who live on less than US$2 a day, resulting in an overwhelming decrease in human development.
A man walks through drought stricken land in the village of Chumvi Yare near Gambella , Isiolo District in Northern Kenya. When this photo was taken last September, the area had already been through three years of drought.
Tags: actionaid, climate adaption, climate change, Food Rights, Mexico
As the race for presidency in Brazil heats up, it is important to reflect on the progress in development that Brazil has made, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. For example, statistics show that the percentage of the population living under 144 reais (AUD$1 = 1.6492 BRL) has dropped from just over 30% in 1993 to about half in 2009. Other figures are encouraging too, such as those that show years spent at school have increased, along with average real monthly income.
Of course, figures and statistics cannot always be trusted to tell the whole story. Brazil has had to deal with a number of problems related to poverty, crime and lack of access to basic facilities, especially in rural areas. Compounded with natural disasters such as the floods in June, Brazil has had its share of problems.
ActionAid started work in Brazil in 1999 and is now working with over 10,000 people in urban and rural areas. One example of this is Maria, in northern Brazil.
Tags: actionaid, Brazil, floods, Food Rights, women's rights
The lead up to the Commonwealth games has been fraught with criticism and speculation. The remarkable opening ceremony of the Delhi games temporarily silenced critics about the organisation of the event.
But critics are still unconvinced about the need to spend so much money on an event that is unlikely to bring any benefits to those that need it the most. Some commentators have pointed that the money could have been spent on addressing poverty and education in India, a country where millions live below the poverty line.
Millions of children in India live below the poverty line. Rupali (pictured) lives with her family in a slum in North-East Mumbai, India.
In the lead up to the games, some authorities were criticised for moving and “hiding” beggars in Delhi. According to experts, nearly half of the 100 000 street children living in Delhi beg for a living.
While we should celebrate India’s chance to shine on the world stage, we also need to remain focused on what needs to be done in eliminating poverty. ActionAid has been running numerous programs in India, ranging from women’s empowerment programs to assisting homeless children.
But what can you do about eliminating poverty? Giving the poor a voice is extremely important and can help with delivering effective aid. You can raise awareness of these issues and lobby your local MP for increasing Australia’s aid budget. Even small actions like purchasing ethically sourced products can help.
Tags: actionaid, aid budget, Food Rights, India, women's rights
Last week ActionAid released a major international report titled ‘Who’s really fighting hunger?’ This report measures how different countries are progressing to meet MDG targets, especially hunger and poverty.
So far, of the twenty-eight developing countries measured, only eight are on track to meet the hunger targets. Twelve of the countries measured were actually going backwards on some of the targets.
For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo saw seventy-six percent of its population hungry. This is the worst hunger record in the world especially as it represents a fourfold increase since 1990.
Farmyard animals and ActionAid activists protested in New York on the eve of the UN Summit, calling for investment in local farms in poor countries to fight hunger.
Tags: actionaid, Africa, Food Rights, India, Milennium Development Goals
We are doing a bunch of activities in Australia around the MDG Review Summit in New York this week and here’s some feedback on some of it.
Last week in Canberra we held our third policy dialogue in partnership with the Australian National University which featured our own Jean Kamau who is the ActionAid Country Director in Kenya, Richard Moore who is the Deputy Director General responsible for Asia at AusAID and Scott Wisor who is doing some wonderful research on development indicators at the ANU.
I had the privilege of moderating this discussion which one Panellist referred to as one of the best discussion panels they had participated in during their 20 year career in international development.
Tags: aid budget, climate change, Education, Food Rights, Milennium Development Goals
Imagine living in a world where with no poverty. Children would stop dying from preventable causes such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. No one would be prevented from going to school and getting an education. Malnutrition would stop killing millions of children before their fifth birthday.
This situation isn’t a mere fantasy; they’re all part of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). World leaders will convene next week at the summit in New York on and discuss how to accelerate progress towards meeting all the MDGs.
There are only five years left until the target date set to achieve the MDGs, and while there have been many successes, unfortunately, there has also been many setbacks.
Will the next generation of children such as Amelia and her brother Emilito from Guatemala see the UN Millennium Development Goals achieved?
Tags: actionaid, aid budget, climate mitigation, Education, Food Rights, Milennium Development Goals, women's rights
Mozambique witnessed some of the worst violence ever since the last food riots held in 2008. At least six people have died, including one child on her way home from school. The violence seen is the latest in a series of protests sparked by rising food prises and global hunger.
A 30% increase in the price of bread and other goods sparked a three day protest and has left hundreds injured in Maputo and Matola. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called an emergency meeting to be held later this month to discuss the food crisis.
These price increases come as Russia, one of the world’s leading exporter of wheat, restricted exports of wheat after drought and bushfire. This has placed immense pressure on wheat substitutes such as rice, causing prices to skyrocket.
A child sits in the middle of a cropfield in Mozambique
Tags: actionaid, Africa, climate change, Food Rights, Mozambique
I recently participated in a discussion on food security that was hosted by the World Bank. The event was televised on regional networks as well as in Timor Leste and PNG.
It was an important and timely discussion given that there are currently 1 billion people (close to a sixth of humanity) who go to bed hungry each night.
As you’ll see in the video below, the panel didn’t always agree on the way forward and much of the disagreement seemed to be on the role of the private sector and multinationals in enabling people to claim their right to food.
Tags: Food Rights, World Bank
