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Humanitarian Coalition Welcomes Global Food Security Strategy Announced By Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
WASHINGTON, DC – The Roadmap to End Global Hunger Coalition (Roadmap Coalition) voices its strong support for the global food security initiative unveiled Saturday, September 26, 2009, during a high-level forum co-hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Representatives from over 100 countries – including heads of state, ministers, and leaders from the foundation, NGO, and corporate sectors – came together to embrace a comprehensive strategy to address global hunger.
Building on the commitments adopted at the G8 L’Aquila Summit held in July, Secretary Clinton and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined key principles to guide global efforts. The strategy will be comprehensive, including a focus on eradicating hunger in the world’s poorest countries through investments in sustainable agricultural development, improved emergency response, increased efforts to combat malnutrition and support for governments in providing social safety nets for the most vulnerable. In outlining the initiative’s key elements, the Roadmap Coalition applauds Secretary Clinton for her continued attention to and prioritization of the unique needs of women in the developing world who, as the majority of agricultural producers and caregivers in the world’s poorest countries, will be indispensable participants in an effective, comprehensive global food security strategy.
In addition to adopting a comprehensive approach, investment decisions will be country-led, bringing together farmers groups, local governments, NGOs, businesses and other stakeholders through consultative processes, which will ensure each nation develops a hunger-alleviation plan based on its unique needs and context. The initiative will also focus on improved coordination, both within countries and at the international level to reduce duplication of efforts and maximize the effective use of resources. Lastly, Secretary Clinton and other international leaders emphasized the importance of innovative, global partnerships that leverage the range of actors needed to successfully address global hunger, as well as a sustained and accountable commitment to ensure long-term success in the world’s poorest countries.
While the world has possessed the collective resources and knowledge for decades to end global hunger, what has been lacking is the political will and sustained leadership at the highest levels of government. The Roadmap Coalition applauds the uniting of the global community this past weekend around shared principles to comprehensively address global hunger, which represents a historic step in generating the needed political will and leadership to eradicate hunger. We look forward to collaborating with the administration to translate the sound principles and framework embraced at this meeting into the effective implementation of a comprehensive strategy to address global hunger.
The Roadmap Coalition is comprised of more than 40 international relief and development organizations focused on building the political will for a comprehensive, U.S. hunger-alleviation strategy, based on the Roadmap to End Global Hunger report.
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