Tag Archives: food prices

New Humanitarian Aid for Libya / Food Costs Soar Globally / A Monumental Work by an Indian Artist

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President Obama announces more humanitarian aid for Libya. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton unveils a new initiative on women’s leadership. Global food prices have reached record highs. Learn about the legacy of the Alliance for Progress, launched by President Kennedy in 1961. And an Indian artist offers up a monumental work.

Aid for Libya Refugees
More Humanitarian Aid for Libya
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President Obama says the United States and other countries will stand with the people of Libya and announces additional U.S. humanitarian assistance to support international aid organizations in Libya. Both the United States and Australia support democracy and human rights around the world and will stand with the Libyan people, says Obama in remarks with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Women’s Leadership Initiative
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton launches a new initiative aimed at using international exchanges to nurture women in leadership positions around the world. “Women’s Leadership: The Next Hundred Years” is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is bringing 100 women leaders from 92 countries to the United States this year to explore women’s political, economic and civic leadership.

Food Prices Reach Record High
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Global food prices reached a record-high level in February, driven mainly by higher prices for cereals, meat and dairy products. The increases have raised concerns that millions more people could be pushed further into poverty and civil unrest could result, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

The Alliance for Progress
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In 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched the Alliance for Progress, an ambitious foreign-aid program for Latin America which called for broad social and economic reforms. Although the Alliance is perhaps largely forgotten now, it marked a fresh approach to U.S.-Latin American relations, says Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Maximum India’s Falling Fables 
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Indian artist Reena Saini Kallat’s monumental installation, Falling Fables, celebrates and mourns the passing of time and disappearance of architecture. On display at “maximum INDIA,” a 20-day festival of dance, theater, music, art and crafts at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the work is a massive fallen pillar covered with more than 30,000 hand-crafted rubber stamps, Kallat’s signature motif.

Clinton on Civil Society / World Food Prices / Color in Freedom

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for enhanced engagement between civil society groups and the United States. Food prices are up by 29% worldwide. President Obama’s Global Health Initiative will turn its focus to solutions for the poorest, most rural areas around the world. A top diplomat discusses President Obama’s Western Hemisphere policy. Some effortless fixes can reduce greenhouse gases. Finally, meet African-American artist Joseph Holston.

Clinton on Civil Society
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Speaking at the inaugural Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for more interaction between civil society groups and U.S. officials. At right, Clinton meets with Azeri civil society leaders in 2010 and emphasizes the importance of engaging with groups outside government that work to improve their countries.

Food Prices up 29% Worldwide
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The World Bank says global food prices have risen 29 percent from a year ago, driven by a combination of weather shocks and food export bans, which are forcing millions more people into extreme poverty. “This is (a) serious cause for concern,” says World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

Health Care for the World’s Most Needy
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President Obama’s Global Health Initiative will turn its focus to community-based approaches and health care solutions for the poorest, most rural areas around the world, says Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). “That is our battleground, and I’m proud to say that is where USAID will try to lead the fight,” he says.

U.S. Western Hemisphere Policy “Informed,” “Optimistic”
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President Obama’s Western Hemisphere policy is “informed, engaged, dynamic, collaborative and optimistic,” says Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Energy Conservation Targets
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Energy efficiency programs target relatively inexpensive and effortless fixes that can have a big effect on greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, many U.S. states are pushing ahead with energy-saving targets for power companies. Together, these states will help the United States reduce emissions in a significant way.

The final movement of Color in FreedomColor in Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad
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Artist Joseph Holston creates art based on African-American subjects, saying he feels that African Americans should have “a voice through art.” His series Color in Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad, which is currently touring the U.S., goes beyond the conventional understanding of the Underground Railroad as a historical episode and instead conveys a broader narrative about the African American experience. At right, the final movement of Color in Freedom shows the fruition of the struggle for freedom.