Heads of state from around the world converged on New York the week of September 21st to attend the United Nations General Assembly, while heads of corporations, foundations and NGOs flocked to the annual summit of the Clinton Global Initiative to jointly tackle the needs of the global poor.
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Roger Thurow and Tom Arnold at “One Billion Hungry,” a presentation at Columbia University |
Taking advantage of the spotlight on the day’s most pressing issues, veteran
Wall Street Journal reporter Roger Thurow and Tom Arnold, CEO of Concern Worldwide US, met on September 23
rd at Columbia University to discuss what must be done to end global hunger. Hosted by Columbia University’s School of Social Work and moderated by Mara Schiavocampo,
NBC Nightly News, the debate, “One Billion Hungry: Confronting our Generation’s Greatest Failure,” drew over ninety students, academics and representatives from civil society.
Thurow presented the thesis of a book he published last spring with co-author and fellow Journal reporter, Scott Kilman: Enough: Why the World’s Poor Starve in Age of Plenty, which he hopes will “outrage and inspire.” (www.enoughthebook.com) He noted that the public at large associates hunger and famine with such causes as natural disasters, droughts or wars. However, Thurow argued that bad policies on the part of both Western governments and those of developing nations —as well as plain ignorance and neglect—are the biggest factors perpetuating what he called “the crime of our age.”
“Just consider,” he said, “the billions spent on the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program—but we cannot manage to commit adequate funds to agricultural development in the developing world.” One particularly worrisome trend the speakers highlighted is the fact that it’s not only the number of hungry people that is growing, but that the percentage of populations going without adequate food is increasing as well.
“The future of nations is at stake,” said Arnold, who reported that in some developing countries more than 40 percent of children under two years old go without adequate food and experience stunted growth, dooming local economies for a generation to come.
But comprehensive global food security initiatives have the potential to prompt real change, said Arnold, noting increased attention to food and nutrition security due to the recent global food price crisis. “Not since the 1970s,” he said, “was the link between food security and political stability” made so evident.
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Tom Arnold discussing the importance of policy changes in the fight to end hunger |
Last year’s food price crisis led to the creation of the UN High Level Task Force on Global Food Security Crisis [
www.un.org/issues/food/taskforce], which in turn brought G8 leaders to the table to commit to the Comprehensive Framework for Action, a set of short and longer term policy proposals aimed at increasing national and global food security. A yet-to-be-realized pledge of $20 billion was made. “Hunger is on the political agenda again, in a big way,” said Thurow, “and that is a great blessing.”
But foreign aid, the speakers agreed, is not the only solution. Arnold stressed that ending global hunger ultimately is “not about money; it’s about policy changes.” For example, developing nations must put renewed focus on agricultural policies, helping small farmers and women in particular, as well investing in rural development. “Creating a functioning rural infrastructure” is critical, said Arnold.
Another aspect of the situation that needs more attention, he said, is the role of nutrition. “Food security must be linked to nutrition security,” insisted Arnold, speaking of proper nutrition’s potential to prevent stunted growth and other debilitating if not outright deadly conditions.
In 2001, Concern Worldwide launched its pioneering Community Therapeutic Care program, since renamed Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) . An innovative concept that mobilizes communities and supports local health services to rapidly and effectively treat children suffering from acute malnutrition in their homes, CMAM—which relies on a highly nutritious non-perishable food supplement called Plumpy’nut—was endorsed in 2007 by the UN as international best practice for treating severe acute malnutrition.
As political leaders are beginning to pay attention, said Arnold, “US leadership will be crucial.” He called on the US to exercise “soft power” around the globe to help bring about policy changes in developing nations. “Investing in the battle against hunger can pay off big,” he said. “Promoting food security will bring political and economic benefits in its wake.”