Tuesday, November 17, 2009

A hunger scandal

Dear Friends,

The economic crisis has poverty and hunger skyrocketing in poor countries. World leaders meeting in Rome next week are in danger of backing out on a $20 billion pledge to fund life-saving food production -- sign the petition calling on them to keep their promise:

Sign The Petition!
1 in 6 people worldwide go hungry everyday. With the recent financial crisis, poverty is skyrocketing, but our governments are failing to take significant action.

In a few days, leaders meet at the World Food Summit in Rome to tackle this growing crisis. The best solution is funding to boost sustainable agriculture in poorer countries, but France, Germany, UK, Italy and Japan are backing out on a $20 billion promise made earlier this year.

Millions of lives are on the line and this is our chance to hold them to their word. Sign the petition below and it will be delivered directly to world leaders and through a spectacular stunt at the Roman Colosseum on the eve of the Summit:
The world produces enough food to feed everyone. Yet the number of people suffering from chronic hunger across the planet has reached the record-high figure of 1 billion this year.

Hundreds of billions are spent by wealthy governments to bail out banks and financial institutions, but the G8 countries are trying to cut a promised $20 billion agriculture fund for the poorest countries to only $3 billion in new money. With literally millions facing life-threatening hunger, this is a scandal.

The Rome summit is our best opportunity to push governments to promote small holder food production -- growing evidence shows that intensive farming models are not effectively countering hunger and have a highly damaging impact on our environment.

We are teaming up with anti-poverty organisation ActionAid and global farmers networks to show our governments that we refuse to accept a world where people die every minute from hunger. Sign the petition to the Rome Summit -- every signature will be represented at a stunning delivery event at Rome's Colloseum:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/world_hunger_pledges  

The economic crisis and climate change are hitting the poorest hardest and pushing millions to the very brink of survival. It´s at times like these when we must stick closer together and show that we care for those whose most basic rights are denied. Sign the petition below:
With hope,

Luis, Alice, Benjamin, Graziela, Ricken, Pascal, Iain, Paula, Paul, Veronique and the entire Avaaz Team

Sources  

Global Hunger worsening, warns UN:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8306556.stm  

Only 15% of G8 pledge is new money, Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL3424540

ActionAid's HungerFREE Scorecard: Small scale farming systems critical in tackling hunger and poverty:

http://www.hungerfreeplanet.org/what-we-do/world-food-day

More information about ActionAid´s HungerFREE global campaign at:
http://www.hungerfreeplanet.org/

World Food Day: There is enough food grown in the world for everyone (Op-ed), Oxfam International:
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2009-10-16/world-food-day

About the World Food Summit:
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article1399

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