Top officials of the United Nations and its affiliate agencies, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are now in Bern, Switzerland for a two-day emergency meeting to address the current global food crisis. Skyrocketing costs put the 2008 operations of the World Food Program in peril as the agency now lacks USD750 million in funding. “This kind of dramatic price increases can also trigger instability, particularly in poor countries and this is of great concern to UNHCR as well, because we are already seeing this happening in several countries,” according to Ron Redmond, a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency. “Of course, the possibility could be eventual increased displacement should it trigger further conflict and instability in those countries.” The discussions will likewise tackle how climate change has affected food production and what can be done to help countries cope with the phenomenon. (Source: UN holds food crisis talks in Switzerland/Voice of America)
