Oxfam presses world leaders over food crisis
Aid charity Oxfam appealed to world leaders to agree an urgent global action plan in response to the food price crisis, as they gathered for a UN summit on the issue in Rome.
By Agencies |
LONDON: Aid charity Oxfam appealed to world leaders on Monday to agree an urgent global action plan in response to the food price crisis, as they gathered for a UN summit on the issue in Rome.
Oxfam notably accused the international community of spending a "pittance" on supporting agriculture in developing countries compared to the huge support given to farmers in rich Western countries.
At least 290 million people are threatened by rising food prices, according to the British-based charity, which estimates that an extra 14.5 billion dollars (9.3 bln euros) is needed to bolster immediate assistance.
"This amount is small when contrasted with the more than one trillion the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have injected into the financial system in the past six months to try to avert economic crisis," it said.
Similarly annual aid to agriculture, which currently stands at 4 billion dollars, is a "pittance compared to the 125 billion dollars that rich countries gave their farmers in 2006," it added in a statement.
"World leaders must urgently agree a coordinated global action plan to address the food price crisis," it said.
Oxfam's Britain chief Barbara Stocking said that, in countries where the charity works, it was "seeing the negative impact of higher food prices on poor people, who already spend more than half their income on food.
"This is a huge challenge to the leadership and legitimacy of the world's multilateral institutions, but also a genuine opportunity for long-overdue reforms," she added.
She also urged "longer-term political changes," stressing the need for an urgent review of compulsory biofuels targets in rich countries.
Recent estimates suggest that increased demand for biofuels accounts for 30 percent of recent food price rises, while mounting scientific evidence shows biofuels are having an overall negative impact on climate change, Oxfam said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to open the Rome conference Tuesday by unveiling an "action plan" to confront the crisis of runaway prices which have sparked riots across the world.
Oxfam notably accused the international community of spending a "pittance" on supporting agriculture in developing countries compared to the huge support given to farmers in rich Western countries.
At least 290 million people are threatened by rising food prices, according to the British-based charity, which estimates that an extra 14.5 billion dollars (9.3 bln euros) is needed to bolster immediate assistance.
"This amount is small when contrasted with the more than one trillion the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have injected into the financial system in the past six months to try to avert economic crisis," it said.
Similarly annual aid to agriculture, which currently stands at 4 billion dollars, is a "pittance compared to the 125 billion dollars that rich countries gave their farmers in 2006," it added in a statement.
"World leaders must urgently agree a coordinated global action plan to address the food price crisis," it said.
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Oxfam's Britain chief Barbara Stocking said that, in countries where the charity works, it was "seeing the negative impact of higher food prices on poor people, who already spend more than half their income on food.
"This is a huge challenge to the leadership and legitimacy of the world's multilateral institutions, but also a genuine opportunity for long-overdue reforms," she added.
She also urged "longer-term political changes," stressing the need for an urgent review of compulsory biofuels targets in rich countries.
Recent estimates suggest that increased demand for biofuels accounts for 30 percent of recent food price rises, while mounting scientific evidence shows biofuels are having an overall negative impact on climate change, Oxfam said.
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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to open the Rome conference Tuesday by unveiling an "action plan" to confront the crisis of runaway prices which have sparked riots across the world.
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