Doubling funding for agriculture could potentially save millions of malnourished children

WESTPORT, Conn. (April 3, 2009) — Save the Children today praised President Barack Obama’s announcement after the G-20 summit in London this week that the United States plans to double investments in food security for Africa, Latin America and other poor regions of the world.  President Obama announced his intent to work with Congress to provide $448 million in immediate assistance to vulnerable populations, and to double support for agricultural development to over $1 billion.

"We strongly support the president's commitment to give poor children and families in developing countries the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty," said Save the Children President and CEO Charles MacCormack.  "We are urging Congress to move quickly on this request, which could help save the lives of millions of malnourished children in the developing world."

Save the Children President and CEO Charles MacCormack joined Reps.Jim McGovern and Jo Ann Emerson on Capitol Hill.

MacCormack said the agency is also calling on G-20 leaders to act on this week's commitments to mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis on the poorest countries through employment, income support, social protection, education and training that focus on the most vulnerable.  "The important package developed at the G-20 summit must now deliver real benefits for the world's poorest children, who have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn.  We look forward to the U.S. and other G-8 leaders, when they meet in Italy in July, maintaining this focus on the poorest and delivering on their Gleneagles and other promises," he said.

Obama's announcement comes five weeks after Save the Children joined members of Congress and other humanitarian organizations in calling for a comprehensive U.S. plan to alleviate global hunger and to support bipartisan legislation that addresses the underlying causes and solutions of hunger around the world.  The broad-based coalition of some 40 organizations, including Save the Children, Bread for the World, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Friends of the World Food Program, Mercy Corps and World Vision — has announced "The Roadmap To End Global Hunger," a strategic plan to address global hunger in the short, intermediate and long term.

Coalition senior executives, including MacCormack, joined with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) at a press conference to announce the launch of the "Roadmap to End Global Hunger" campaign on Feb. 24.

The coalition said new legislation is needed as the world copes with high food prices and financial and economic crises that are pushing more people into poverty and hunger. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the number of hungry people worldwide has increased to nearly one billion. An overwhelming majority of these people live in developing nations.

The group said it supported a comprehensive approach that addresses emergencies, safety nets for poor families, health and nutrition, and agricultural development.

"It takes more than food to fight hunger," said MacCormack. "That is why we support new, serious legislation and foreign aid reform that provides an integrated approach to ending hunger. We need to tackle the problem across the spectrum, addressing emergencies, bolstering safety nets for families living on the edge, and ensuring that children have enough food to nourish young bodies and brains.  President’s Obama’s announcement in London this week and the recent unanimous approval of the Global Food Security Act by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are very important steps in the right direction.”

Learn more about the child hunger crisis.

Save the Children is the leading, independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. For more than 75 years, Save the Children has been helping children survive and thrive by improving their health, education and economic opportunities and, in times of acute crisis, mobilizing lifesaving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. For more information, visit: www.savethechildren.org