Aid agencies protest at G7 failure to address global food shortage
Source: CAFOD/Christian Aid
Both CAFOD and Christian Aid have expressed grave concern at the failure of the G7 Leaders Summit to adequately address the looming global food shortage.
Graham Gordon, Head of Policy at CAFOD, said: "We welcome G7 leaders' focus on the food crisis in Eastern Africa, caused by drought and spiralling food and fuel prices, but the money pledged to help is a drop in the ocean of what is needed.
"Governments must act with the same urgency and generosity as they did responding to Ukraine and must ensure funds reach local organisations rooted in the communities affected.
"Aid pledged through the UN and World Bank is also welcome, but it won't reach frontline local responders unless deliberate steps are taken to ensure this happens.
"The G7 summit also failed to address the flaws in our global food system. The G7 spend billions propping up our failing industrial food system but to prevent future crisis they must shift this finance towards more diverse, local food systems that are more resilient to shocks.
"G7 countries also need to tackle the market failures that send food prices spiralling upwards, such as excessive speculation on food commodities and the lack of transparency by companies and investors on grain stocks."
Christian Aid has said the G7's $4.5 billion pledge to tackle global hunger amounts to "chasing headlines" despite millions more at increasing risk of famine.
Christian Aid's Head of Global Policy and Advocacy, Fionna Smyth, said: "The hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa is deteriorating quickly. Even though people across the region are on the brink of famine due to severe climate-induced drought and the war in Ukraine, world leaders have once again failed to act with the urgency and scale needed.
"Just like the $7bn committed by the G7 in the Famine Compact to end starvation just last year, there is no indication of where this year's $4.5bn money is coming from or when it will reach people desperately in need. Chasing headlines doesn't save lives.
"Equally, world leaders must tackle the overlapping nature of the climate crisis and global hunger by delivering on new climate finance. If the COP27 summit later this year is going to truly tackle the climate crisis, we need more than hot air to address loss and damage."
With four failed back-to-back rainy seasons, the Horn of Africa is suffering the worst drought in 40 years. In addition, the war in Ukraine has escalated conditions by pushing up the cost of food and fuel prices. The UN estimates 18.4m people face food insecurity.
The G7 leaders' statement on global food security can be found here.
www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/28/2022-06-28-statement-on-global-food-security-data.pdf