|
THE
World Bank Group (WB) is urging international
donor-agencies to help raise and extend some $750
million to heed the call of the World Food Program (WFP)
in hopes of meeting the world’s emergency food needs.
In a
statement issued after a United Nations System Chief
Executives Board for Coordination meeting in Berne,
Switzerland, WB president Robert Zoellick said
donor-agencies must act now and support the WFP’s call
for some $755 million to feed the world’s hungry.
To date,
Zoellick said only $475 million has been pledged.
However, he said these are merely pledges, and that
donors should “put their money on the table” to give the
WFP more financial room to continue its feeding programs
worldwide.
“The
next few weeks are critical for addressing the food
crisis. For 2 billion people, high food prices are now a
matter of daily struggle, sacrifice and, for too many,
even survival. We estimate that already some 100 million
people may have been pushed into poverty as a result of
high prices over the last two years,” Zoellick said in a
statement.
“This is
not a natural disaster. Make no mistake, there is
nothing natural about this. But for millions of people,
it is a disaster,” he added.
However,
Zoellick said the current food crisis will not be over
after the emergency needs have been met. That is why, he
said, the international community must commit to working
together and respond to the situation with policy
initiatives.
Zoellick
said hunger and malnutrition are now considered the
underlying causes of death of over 3.5 million children
every year.
“First
and foremost, donors must act now to meet the emergency
and raise the $750 million for the WFP. The world can
afford this. The poor and hungry cannot,” Zoellick said.
The WB
is also urging countries not to resort to export bans.
He said these controls encourage hoarding and drive up
prices that hurt the poorest people around the world
struggling to feed themselves.
He
proposed that a new deal be embraced as a short-,
medium- and long-term response to the current crisis.
This involved support for safety nets, such as school
feeding, food-for-work and conditional cash transfer
programs; increased agricultural production; a better
understanding of the impact of biofuels and action on
the trade front to reduce distorting subsidies, and
trade barriers.
Zoellick
said the WB would also work with UN agencies to identify
countries that are most in need. The bank, he said, is
open to providing concessional financing and other
support and that it is already working closely with the
International Monetary Fund and regional development
banks.
The WB
is also exploring the creation of a rapid-financing
facility for grant support to especially fragile, poor
countries and quicker, more flexible financing for
others. To address supply issues, Zoellick said the bank
is doubling its lending for agriculture in
Africa over the next year to $800 million.
“These
are all critical issues for international action that
must be fleshed out in the coming weeks so that millions
do not find themselves in this same position next year,”
Zoellick said. |
