Shortages, High Prices And The Global Economic Crisis Create A Perfect Storm As Global Hunger Rises

June 23, 2009 - PRLog -- The number of people suffering from hunger in the world is projected to rise by 104 million this year, increasing the total number to more than one billion, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  During the G8 development ministers meeting held in Italy this month, Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), urged nations currently coping with economic problems to continue to provide aid to developing nations.

"For those living on less than $2 a day, the financial crisis is accelerating hunger, and the worst is yet to come," she said.

According to the Financial Times, the WFP is cutting food aid rations and shutting down some operations as contributing countries face economic problems at home. The agency recently reported that it had less than $1.5 billion of a required budget of $6.4 billion.

The Times added that the WFP has reduced emergency food aid rations in Rwanda, for example, from 420g to 320g of cereals per person a day and suspended food distribution to 600,000 people in northern Uganda.

High food prices in a financial crisis

As global hunger increases, food prices continue to rise. The cost of food commodities such as corn and soybean has surged this week to levels not seen since the start of the food crisis in late 2007. According to the WFP, recent declines in food and fuel prices in international markets have not yet filtered down to many local markets. Prices are still high and could start rising again.

These issues are just some of many that will be addressed at the fourth annual International Aid & Trade event held in the Ronald Reagan Building Washington D.C., USA, on the 9th and 10th July.  International Aid & Trade, now in partnership with the InterAction event on the 6-9 July, is the world’s leading forum for humanitarian relief professionals. The two-day event will include round-table workshops within an exhibition hall, where experts will discuss humanitarian challenges with the aim of finding solutions and cross-sector working.

Workshops entitled “The food crisis and aid issues” and “Financing in an economic downturn: Effective raising and use of funds” will focus on addressing humanitarian problems in developing as well as developed countries. Speakers from these workshops include, Finabarr Curran, of the UN World Food Programme, Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Edith Grace Ssempala, of the World Bank, and Adib Farhadi, Deputy Minister of Commerce & Industry in Afghanistan. The goal of International Aid & Trade is to cement relationships, build new partnerships and enable humanitarian relief professionals to gain understanding and share experience within the humanitarian world.

For additional information about International Aid + Trade, see: www.aidandtrade.org or contact Shantal Naidoo, Marketing Manager by telephone: +44 20 7871 0123 or email: snaidoo@aidandtrade.org