TEN THOUSAND children die of malnutrition in Africa every day. In that continent an estimated 300 million people are suffering from hunger. And it is calculated that 40 per cent of children in sub-Saharan Africa risk permanent physical and intellectual impairment because of malnutrition.
Throughout the world the number of people suffering from hunger has increased from 850 million to 925 million in the last year because of soaring food prices. It could soon reach one billion.
These stark facts were drawn to public attention by experts at a Concern conference on world hunger held in Dublin this week. As one of the speakers, the economist Jeffrey Sachs points out, because we can't visualise such suffering it tends to get systematically overlooked. All the more is this the case during the current world financial crisis, which is now directly affecting real economies through slower growth, higher unemployment and weakening public finances. Poverty and hunger in the rich world are thereby increased, narrowing horizons and solidarities.
The $1.8 trillion ($1,800,000,000,000) mobilised by the richest governments to liquefy and recapitalise rich banks over the last three weeks must be shamefully compared to the $24-40 billion per annum proposed by the UN taskforce on global food security which has not been delivered upon by those same governments. As former UN secretary general Kofi Annan told the Concern conference, "the financial crisis deserves urgent attention and focus. But so does the question of hunger. Millions [ this year] are liable to die. Is that any less urgent? I agree that politicians being what they are, and under pressure from their own voters to improve their own local economic conditions - they will take their eyes off of poverty," he said.
Thinking holistically and ethically about distribution of the world's resources is all the more necessary given the impact of this economic emergency. Neglecting primary hunger and poverty is a recipe for political destabilisation and military conflict. As the 1945 Bretton Woods institutions are renegotiated, it is essential that these issues are given priority. That would allow the constructive ideas now circulating about how economic development can defeat poverty to gain a wider hearing and the real traction in policy-making they deserve. Prominent among them are the plans for regenerating African agriculture through a green revolution championed by Mr Annan. Ireland's aid can fruitfully respond to his ideas.