Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Al Green (TX-09) and Congressman James McGovern, Co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus, sent a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressing deep concern over the crisis of food availability affecting nations throughout the world and calling on United Nations (U.N.) member states to contribute additional emergency aid.  Food prices soared by 40 percent in the last year due to rising oil and energy costs and rising demand from growing economies in the developing world.   Twenty-two Members of Congress co-signed the letter.

“Soaring food prices have led to civil unrest around the world and placed millions at risk of malnutrition and starvation,” Rep. Green stated.  “I appreciate the on-going work of the United Nations’ World Food Program to address the global food crisis.  It is vital that all U.N. member nations take action to provide humanitarian assistance to those who are suffering around the world.”

The World Food Program (WFP) estimated that it will need $755 million on top of what donor nations have already pledged to fill what the WFP calls a global “food gap.” The supplemental appropriations bill, passed in the House of Representatives yesterday, includes $1.62 billion in international food aid for FY08 and FY09.  This represents a significant increase above the President’s request for FY08 emergency food aid and humanitarian assistance to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable populations facing food insecurity. 

“I’m pleased that the Appropriations Committee has agreed to include this critical food assistance in the supplemental.  I believe that hunger is a political condition – we have the resources to eliminate hunger in the world, and what we need is the political will to make it happen,” stated Rep. McGovern.

The global food crisis has affected countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, Senegal, Philippines, Mauritania, and Cote d'Ivoire have experienced protests and riots in late 2007 and early 2008 due to the lack of availability of basic food staples.  Recently, Haiti's government was forced to remove the country's prime minister, in an effort to appease angry demonstrators who, as in other countries, have violently protested soaring food prices. In Darfur, Sudan, the WFP may be forced to cut food supplies due to a lack of donations by U.N. member states.

“This crisis should greatly concern all people of good will around the world,” Rep. Green stated.  “Congress represented the good will of the American people by voting to include over $1.5 billion in emergency food aid in the supplemental appropriations bill.  Adequate funding for the World Food Program is vital to efforts to alleviate the suffering of those impacted by the global food crisis.”