G-20 leaders must not make the sovereign debt crisis, which currently engulfs Europe, as reason for not delivering on their pledges to provide food security and agricultural assistance to poor countries, according to InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based aid non-governmental organizations.
InterAction President Sam Worthington made the appeal ahead of the Nov. 3 and 4 G-20 summit in Cannes, France. He is part of the civil society delegation that was due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy prior to the summit.
“Underscoring the urgency of the food crisis, the first famine of the 21st century is unfolding in the Horn of Africa. There is not a shortage of ideas to prevent famine, but a lack of political will to implement solutions,” Worthington said Nov. 2 in a news release. “I hope the G20 leaders meeting on the Riviera will change that.”
Worthington specifically urged G-20 to make sure the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program is well-funded and to rebalance donor funds to improve nutrition and reach small-scale farmers, especially women.
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