On World Food Day, UN calls for united front against hunger

(October 17, 2010) With nearly one billion people still suffering from food shortages around the globe, the world must take a united stand against hunger, the United Nations said on Saturday, marking World Food Day. The number of the world’s hungry has dipped slightly from its record high last year, but “we are continually reminded that the world’s food systems are not working in ways that ensure food security for the most vulnerable members of our societies,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message on the Day. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of hungry people in the world is a pillar for achieving all eight of the globally-agreed targets with a 2015 deadline, Mr. Ban stressed. “When people are hungry, they cannot break the crippling chains of poverty, and are vulnerable to infectious diseases,” he said. “When children are hungry, they cannot grow, learn and develop.” This year alone, the Secretary-General pointed out, millions have been pushed into hunger by the earthquake in Haiti, the drought in the Sahel and floods in Pakistan, while the twin food and financial crises continue to affect the world’s most vulnerable. He highlighted the need for global cooperation, bringing together governments, intergovernmental organizations, regional and sub-regional bodies, business and civil society groups, to combat hunger. He urged everyone to press ahead with this approach to build on progress made in reducing the number of hungry people in the world. The World Food Day is commemorated every year on 16^th of October, marking the date of the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. In his message Pope Benedict XVI said: "The theme of this year's World Food Day, 'United against Hunger', is a timely reminder that everyone needs to make a commitment to give the agricultural sector its proper importance.”