Never in the history of mankind have so many people been so hungry. Despite rapid development, modern technology and burgeoning international trade, today an estimated 1.02 billion people around the world are wanting for food. Here in Asia and the Pacific, 640 million people are malnourished. From 16 to 18 November, representatives of some 190 countries will gather in Rome for the World Summit on Food Security. Addressing this serious state of affairs will be uppermost on the agenda of the heads of state and government in attendance.

This will be the third World Food Summit organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations since 1996, when countries agreed to the goal of halving the number of hungry people in the world by 2015. At first, steady progress towards that goal was being made in many quarters. By 2005, 28 developing countries had reduced the ranks of the malnourished by 104 million. However, since 2007 rising prices, food and fuel shortages, financial meltdowns and economic crises, climate change and other factors have wiped out a decade’s worth of gains. Instead of fewer malnourished people, we now have more than ever before.

With just six years remaining before the 2015 deadline, delegates to the Summit would appear to be presiding over a great failure. Failure, however, is neither predestined nor predetermined as an outcome.

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More information on the summit please go to www.fao.org/wsfs/world-summit/en/

Sign the anti-hunger petition at www.1billionhungry.org/

More information at:
http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/speeches/2009/20091113.html