G8 joint statement on global food security – L’Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI)

Source: G8

Date: 10 Jul 2009

1. We, Heads of State, Government and International and Regional Organizations convened in L’Aquila, remain deeply concerned about global food security, the impact of the global financial and economic crisis and last year’s spike in food prices on the countries least able to respond to increased hunger and poverty. While the prices of food commodities have decreased since their peak of 2008, they remain high in historical terms and volatile. The combined effect of longstanding underinvestment in agriculture and food security, price trends and the economic crisis have led to increased hunger and poverty in developing countries, plunging more than a further 100 million people into extreme poverty and jeopardising the progress achieved so far in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The number of people suffering from hunger and poverty now exceeds 1 billion.

2. There is an urgent need for decisive action to free humankind from hunger and poverty. Food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture must remain a priority issue on the political agenda, to be addressed through a cross-cutting and inclusive approach, involving all relevant stakeholders, at global, regional and national level. Effective food security actions must be coupled with adaptation and mitigation measures in relation to climate change, sustainable management of water, land, soil and other natural resources, including the protection of biodiversity.

3. We therefore agree to act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security. To this end, we will partner with vulnerable countries and regions to help them develop and implement their own food security strategies, and together substantially increase sustained commitments of financial and technical assistance to invest in those strategies. Our action will be characterized by a comprehensive approach to food security, effective coordination, support for country-owned processes and plans as well as by the use of multilateral institutions whenever appropriate. Delivering on our commitments in a timely and reliable manner, mutual accountability and a sound policy environment are key to this effort. We see a comprehensive approach as including: increased agriculture productivity, stimulus to pre and post-harvest interventions, emphasis on private sector growth, smallholders, women and families, preservation of the natural resource base, expansion of employment and decent work opportunities, knowledge and training, increased trade flows, and support for good governance and policy reform.

4. Food security is closely connected with economic growth and social progress as well as with political stability and peace. The food security agenda should focus on agriculture and rural development by promoting sustainable production, productivity and rural economic growth. At the same time, coherent policies to foster economy-wide growth, which is inclusive and environmentally sustainable, are to be pursued in conjunction with social protection mechanisms such as safety nets and social policies for the most vulnerable. Our attention to promoting access to health care and education in rural areas will substantially contribute to productivity and economic growth and, as importantly, improve nutrition and food security. It is necessary to improve access to food through more equitable income generation and distribution, employment creation and income prospects in developing countries.

5. Sustained and predictable funding and increased targeted investments are urgently required to enhance world food production capacity. Commitments to increase ODA must be fulfilled. The tendency of decreasing ODA and national financing to agriculture must be reversed. We are committed to increase investments in short, medium and long term agriculture development that directly benefits the poorest and makes best use of international institutions. We support public-private partnerships with adequate emphasis on the development of infrastructure aimed at increasing resources for agriculture and improving investment effectiveness.

6. Access to adequate and affordable nutritious food is a critical aspect of food security. Emergency assistance will remain an important means through which national authorities, supported by WFP and other specialized Agencies, Funds and Programmes, together with non-governmental organizations, can provide help to people facing acute hunger. Delivering food, cash and vouchers through effective emergency assistance as well as through national safety-nets and nutrition schemes, such as food and cash for work, unconditional cash transfer programs, school feeding and mother-and-child nutrition programs, is an imperative goal. In the long-term, government led, cash based social protection systems and targeted nutrition interventions are needed to support the poorest and excluded populations. We call upon all nations to support these aims by providing sufficient, more predictable and flexible resources. We also call upon all countries to remove food export restrictions or extraordinary taxes, especially for food purchased for humanitarian purposes, and to consult and notify in advance before imposing any new restriction. The feasibility, effectiveness and administrative modalities of a system of stockholding in dealing with humanitarian food emergencies or as a means to limit price volatility need to be further explored. We call upon the relevant International Institutions to provide us with evidence allowing us to make responsible strategic choices on this specific issue.

7. Open trade flows and efficient markets have a positive role in strengthening food security. National and regional strategies should promote the participation of farmers, especially smallholders and women, into community, domestic, regional and international markets. Markets must remain open, protectionism rejected and factors potentially affecting commodity price volatility, including speculation, monitored and analysed further. We are therefore committed to reduce trade distortions and refrain from raising new barriers to trade and investment and from implementing WTO-inconsistent measures to stimulate exports. To this end, we aim at an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced conclusion of the Doha Development Round and call for renewed, determined efforts to bring it to a timely and successful conclusion. We are committed to improve access to information, promote conducive business environments and investment in rural infrastructure, such as transportation, processing, storage facilities and irrigation schemes.

8. Strengthening global and local governance for food security is key to defeating hunger and malnutrition, as well as to promote rural development. Improved global governance should build on existing International Organizations and International Financial Institutions, making use of their comparative advantage, enhancing their coordination and effectiveness and avoiding duplications. To this end, we support the UN High Level Task

Force on the Global Food Security Crisis. At the same time, we support the fundamental reform processes underway in the FAO, the Committee on World Food Security, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and the global agricultural research system through the Global Forum on Agricultural Research.

9. By joining efforts with partners and relevant stakeholders around the world, we can together design and implement an effective food security strategy, with priority on the world’s poorest regions. We agree to support a global effort whose core principles are country ownership and effectiveness. We pledge to advance by the end of 2009 – consistent with our other actions aimed at an improved global governance for food security – the implementation of the Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security. Its mission includes enhancing cooperation in achieving global food security, promoting better coordination at the country level and ensuring that local and regional interests are duly voiced and considered. We intend that the Global Partnership will count on a reformed and effective Committee on World Food Security involving all relevant stakeholders, including Governments, International and Regional Organisations, IFIs, civil society and farmers organizations, the private sector and scientific community.

10. We support the implementation of country and regional agricultural strategies and plans through country-led coordination processes, consistent with the Accra Agenda for Action and leveraging on the Comprehensive Framework for Action of the UN High Level Task Force and on existing donor coordination mechanisms. Building on the experience of FAO, IFAD and other Agencies, special focus must be devoted to smallholder and women farmers and their access to land, financial services, including microfinance and markets. Sustained efforts and investments are necessary for enhancing agricultural productivity and for livestock and fisheries development. Priority actions should include improving access to better seeds and fertilizers, promoting sustainable management of water, forests and natural resources, strengthening capacities to provide extension services and risk management instruments, and enhancing the efficiency of food value chains. In this regard, the increased involvement of civil society and private sector is a key factor of success. Investment in and access to education, research, science and technologies should be substantially strengthened at national, regional and international level. Their dissemination, as well as the sharing of information and best practices including through North-South, South-South and Triangular cooperation, is essential to promote knowledge-based policy and national capacity. We recognize the opportunities and challenges associated with renewable energy production from biomasses. Related investment should be promoted in a sustainable way compatible with our food security goals.

11. In Africa, NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) is an effective vehicle for ensuring that resources are targeted to a country’s plans and priorities. Local ownership must begin with the national political will to develop and implement comprehensive food security strategies, based on sound scientific evidence, inclusive consultation, domestic investment and clear directions. We also acknowledge the positive contribution of African-led public-private partnership such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. We commit to provide resources – whether financial, in-kind or technical assistance – in support of CAADP and other similar regional and national plans in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia.

12. We are determined to translate these principles into action and take all the necessary measures to achieve global food security. We will aim at substantially increasing aid to agriculture and food security including through multiyear resource commitments. In this respect, we welcome the commitments made by countries represented at L’Aquila towards a goal of mobilizing $20 billion over three years through this coordinated, comprehensive strategy focused on sustainable agriculture development, while keeping a strong commitment to ensure adequate emergency food aid assistance. We encourage other countries and private actors to join in the common effort towards global food security through a coherent approach. We are determined to improve coordination of financing mechanisms and stand ready to ensure that new resources complement existing facilities and programmes and catalyse additional funds around country-owned strategies, in particular to increase food production, improve access to food and empower smallholder farmers to gain access to enhanced inputs, technologies, credit and markets.

L’Aquila 10 July 2009

The Joint Statement on Global Food Security (”L’Aquila Food Security Initiative”) is endorsed by the G8 and by Algeria, Angola, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Libya (Presidency of the African Union), Mexico, The Netherlands, Nigeria, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Commission of the African Union, FAO, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, OECD, The Secretary General’s UN High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, WFP, The World Bank, WTO who attended the food security session at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila on 10 July 2009 and by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bioversity/Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Global Donor Platform for Rural Development , Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).

UN humanitarian chief: We are at a critical moment

 Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Date: 10 Jul 2009 (Islamabad/New York, 10 July 2009):

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) John Holmes today briefed the press in Islamabad on the last day of his mission to Pakistan.

On his first visit to the country in his current capacity as Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Holmes expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of the Government of Pakistan in helping meet the needs of those displaced in recent months.

“The Government of Pakistan and the humanitarian community have done a commendable job in the circumstances in tackling a massive and very rapid displacement crisis,” he said, pointing to the provision of food, water, sanitation and health care, among other necessities, to up to two million people.

He stressed, however, that more is required to reach all those in need. While it is easier to reach those in camps, 90% of the displaced are elsewhere, in schools or other public buildings, and with host families. Acknowledging the generosity and selflessness of host communities, he said that more had to be done in particular to help both the displaced and their hosts in these situations.

This could be seen in his trip to the village of Jamal Garhi, in Mardan district, where there were as many displaced people as residents, and in one case, one family was hosting some 95 displaced people. The ERC lauded the fortitude of the displaced, saying that he was astonished at their “resilience and ability to cope under very difficult circumstances.

I was struck,” he said, “by the many, many children I saw, who are living in abnormal and unfamiliar situations but who are trying to lead normal lives as children despite that. They and their families are in need of urgent help right now, and we will need to help them live even better lives later,” he concluded. The ERC focused particularly on the timing and nature of the return of the displaced.

In Buner district, officials had told him that already, more than half of the displaced had returned. Mr. Holmes said that, from his own observations during his trip to Buner, normal life did appear to be resuming to some extent. He said that the situation in other districts, where the UN has so far had no access due to security concerns, was harder to assess.

The UN supported the desirability of returns as soon as possible, and people wanted to return as soon as they can. At the same time, Mr. Holmes underlined that returns must be genuinely voluntary, and that conditions on the ground must be right, including security and the restoration of basic services.

In the meantime, preparations continue for the monsoon season and for further displacement that may come as other military operations are undertaken. Mr. Holmes emphasized the need for respect for International Humanitarian Law in all cases, and stressed that the attention of the media and donors continues to be vital.

“We are at a critical moment. The suffering we see here is every bit as real and as deserving of help as suffering we see elsewhere,” he said. “I therefore urge the donor community to respond generously.” Mr. Holmes also met the President of Pakistan, Asif Zardari, civil society, non-government organisations and donors on 10 July.

He leaves Pakistan on 11 July.

For further information, please call:

OCHA Pakistan: Stephanie Bunker, mobile +92 300 850 2397, bunker@un.org;

OCHA New York: Nicholas Reader, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org

OCHA-Geneva: Vanessa Huguenin, +41 22 917 1891, huguenin@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int

For more information about CERF, please see http://cerf.un.org

URUMQI RIOT – do not supress the Uighurs

Uighur are being treated as a second class citizen and received the same harassment as Tibetian.

This is a systematic ethnic cleansing campaign by the China government to wipe out or at least to outnumbered the Uighur by exporting Han ethnic to their land, Xinjiang.  For thousand of years, the world knew that Xinjiang that lies in the Turkistan was the land and place of the Uighur and any attempt to break the majority will definately end with bloody campaign.

The process of bringing other ethnic to mix up with local ethnic is a tactic of multiple regime in the world to ensure continuous support and to stop nationalism from getting support.  Some succeed but some failed.

Another issue, the uprising of the Uighurs had been blanket by the government of China as the movement of terrorist or Islamic resistance.   By claiming that, they hope the world and the western media especially will not look into the matter deeper.  It is a cheap and dirty tactics to surpress its own citizen. 

The absence of international media in Xinjiang will be the golden opportunity for the government to launch the same scale or even worst ethnic cleansing than Bosnian war.  I have doubt that the police and military will protect the Uighurs, China record on handling crisis and uprising is not good at all.

China is using various NGOs and pro-China media to cover up the bloody riot in Urumqi as a terrorist plot to the topple the legitimate government.   They critisize western medias as being bias in reporting and supporting terrorism.  This propaganda game is well orchestrated and being monitored to ensure the world not to get the real story happenned on the ground.

I demand that the government of China to stop torturing and opressing Uighur Muslim and to stop transporting immigrant Han to the Xinjiang Land immediately.

Shahrul Peshawar, Alor Setar

TABIK untuk Ustaz Azizan – Menteri Besar Kedah

ORANG TU KATA LAGI

Orang kata PAS ikut telunjuk DAP.

Orang kata PAS takut hilang undi Cina.

Orang kata PAS tak perjuangkan hak Melayu

Orang kata PAS tak boleh selesaikan masalah

Orang kata PAS macam-macam

Orang dulu kenapa tak selesai MASALAH BABI di Kedah

Orang dulu kenapa tak respons cepat

Orang dulu kenapa tak buat apa

Orang dulu bukan Melayu Islam ke

Orang dulu tak ikut telunjuk MCA ke?

Ada orang bantah kandang babi

Ada orang kata  babi haram

Ada orang kata tidak Islamik pindahkan kandang babi

Ada orang apikan benci Melayu dengan Cina

Ada orang semarakkan fitnah nak robohkan kuil dan to’kong

Kenapa orang itu bantah babi tapi tak bantah ARAK?

Kenapa orang itu bantah babi tapi tak bantah JUDI?

Kenapa orang itu bantah babi tapi tak bantah RASUAH?

Kenapa orang itu bantah babi tapi tak bantah RIBA?

Kenapa orang itu bantah babi tapi tak bantah KHIANAT?

Semua haram.  Sama-sama haram?  Babi boleh bantah yang lain tak nak bantah?

Apa punya Melayu daa…  semangat selsema BABI je…

*orang (baca sebagai umno/bn)

SHAHRUL PESHAWAR

Alor Setar

Belajar Bahasa Inggeris bukan dewakan Bahasa Inggeris

FINALLY, Michael Jackson will enter the next stage in our (soul) journey

Details for Michael Jackson’s public memorial have been finalized.

The farewell service for Jackson will take place on Tuesday, July 7 at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center. The program will be simulcast at Los Angeles’ nearby Nokia Theatre.

Jackson, 50, passed away Thursday (June 25) after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. It has been widely reported that an overdose of prescription is to blame for the superstar’s unexpected death.

In an interview broadcast Thursday on NBC’s Today show, the King of Pop’s older brother, Jermaine Jackson, said he wishes he had died instead of his superstar sibling.

“He went too soon. I don’t know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me,” Jermaine said.

“I wanted to be there for him. I was there and he was sort of like molded. Things he couldn’t say, I would say them. During the trials, during everything …”

Jermaine said that when he rushed to UCLA Medical Center last Thursday, where Jacko was pronounced dead, “I wanted to see Michael, and I wanted to see my brother, and see him there lifeless and breathless was very emotional for me, but I held myself together, because I know he’s very much alive.”

“His spirit is, and that was just a shell, but I kissed him on his forehead and I hugged him, and I touched him and I said, ‘Michael, I’ll never leave you. You’ll never leave me.’”

http://www.showbizspy.com/article/188781/michael-jacksons-memorial-finalized

Michael is on the right track for the next stage in our journey.  The journey of our soul started with:-

1.  Creation of Soul

2.  Mother’s Womb (until you born)

3.  Life in this World (until you meet death)

4.  Life after death (in the grave) until judgement day

5.  Judgement Day – Yaumul Mahsyar (when your good deeds and bad deeds will be compared)

6.  Paradise or Hell

Wallahua’lam – ALlah knows better.

My muslim brothers and sisters, correct me if I’m wrong on these.

Shahrul Peshawar

UNICEF: Children and women displaced by conflict in Pakistan need urgent and ongoing support

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Date: 03 Jul 2009 GENEVA, 3 July 2009

UNICEF is deeply concerned about the condition of thousands of children who have been displaced by conflict, or who remain in affected areas, in north-western Pakistan.

Nearly 50 per cent of the estimated 2 million displaced are children, many of whom are in urgent need of health and educational services, nutritional support, access to clean water and sanitation as well as protection. Their situation has been compounded by the harsh summer temperatures.

UNICEF is especially concerned that some 700,000 children are due to start the new school year in September in 3,700 schools that are currently occupied by 150,000 IDPs. If these schools are not vacated and rehabilitated soon, the education of all these children will be interrupted. Some of these children could even drop out of the education system permanently.

The speed and magnitude of the crisis has stretched the capacity of the government, host communities and humanitarian actors to the limit. Though fighting is reported to have subsided in Swat and Buner, IDPs continue to seek refuge in camps and communities in northern parts of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and new displacements are being recorded into southern parts of the province due to military operations in South Waziristan.

“In Pakistan we face a unique humanitarian challenge, since the vast majority of the displaced are seeking shelter in host communities which are far more difficult to reach with basic services than in the camps,” said UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes, Louis-Georges Arsenault.

While basic needs are being met in camps, the situation is critical for the vast majority of IDPs living in host communities. In the thousands of school buildings that have been converted into IDP shelters and other spontaneous camps that have sprung up throughout parts of NWFP to cope with the influx of people from conflict-affected areas, children and families are living in cramped conditions with limited to negligible access to safe drinking water and sanitation – and are difficult to reach with basic hygiene materials and education to decrease the likelihood of water borne diseases.

At equal risk are host communities who are shouldering the burden with limited resources and fragile infrastructure in the aftermath of food prices spikes that took root in 2007. UNICEF is working closely with the government of Pakistan and other partners to provide services and information to displaced children and women.

To prevent the outbreak of diseases, over 200,000 children have been vaccinated against measles and 230,000 people receive safe drinking water and hygiene education in IDP camps and communities. To date, 47,400 children and 20,400 mothers have been screened for malnutrition, and the 11,000 moderately malnourished have received care within their own communities. While malnutrition rates are presently low, the vulnerability of the population requires sustained support to prevent the situation from deteriorating rapidly.

The Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan, revised in May to cope with new displacements caused by the military operations in Swat and Buner, has so far raised less than a third of the $543 million required to support 1.7 million IDPs for six months. As part of the Appeal, UNICEF requested $52 million. To date $22.5 million has been received from donors and is in hand –and another $9.3 million has been pledged. “Without sufficient funding, it will be impossible to ensure that thousands of children and families affected by the conflict have the services and support they require in the time of their greatest need. Equally important is support to the host communities who are struggling to cope with their new found burden,” said Arsenault.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.

In Pakistan and elsewhere, it has provided vital relief and reconstruction support to help individuals rebuild their lives after emergencies. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For further information, please contact:

Kathryn Grusovin, UNICEF Islamabad, Tel +92-300-5018542, E-mail: kgrusovin@unicef.org.

A Sami Malik, UNICEF Islamabad, Tel +92-300-8556654, E-mail: asmalik@unicef.org.

http://www.unicef.org/Pakistan

Michael Islamic Burial – Insya ALlah

Family may opt for Islamic burial for MJ: Report

The family of Michael Jackson is considering a traditional Muslim burial for the pop icon who had converted to Islam months prior to his death, says a new report.

X 17 online, a celebrity website reported quoting sources close to the family that Jackson’s new found will states that he will be buried in the traditions of his new faith.

“The family is considering following the Muslim burial traditions because  Michael would have wanted to be laid to rest in keeping with his new-found religious beliefs. Michael’s brother Jermaine is educating the family as to the special rites,” the source said.

Jackson had reportedly converted to Islam in November last year and taken the name of ‘Mikhaail’.

Meanwhile, a public viewing of the performer will take place on Friday at his fantasy themed abode California ranch, Neverland. There has been no official confirmation from Jackson’s family on the location where his body will be laid to rest.

NDTV adds: Michael Jackson’s memorial will not take place at Neverland, because of a legal issue. The new owners of the ranch were not able to get a clearance in time for the funeral.

The Jackson family is not sure where it will be now, although the date is thought to remain the same.

conteng BINI PUAKA dengan kutuk AGONG… mana lebih besar SALAHnya?

DULU – masa mula-mula Kerajaan Negeri Terengganu nak dapat Menteri Besar baru ada orang kutuk YANG DIPERTUAN AGUNG… siap ada gambar – siap keluar suratkhabar dan tv… tapi WHY Haa?  Orang-orang tu tak kena apa-apa tindakan?  SO FUNNY. Shahrul Peshawar   Polis buru 3 siswa UM di kampus

Abdul Rahim Sabri | Jul 2, 09 3:17pm

Polis terus memburu tiga lagi pelajar Universiti Malaya (UM) untuk membantu siasatan kes menconteng dan dakwaan cubaan membakar di sebuah dewan apabila mereka menyambung pengajian mulai minggu depan. “Kita tunggu sehingga mereka masuk UM, mereka mesti masuk (untuk) mendaftar (bagi semester baru),” kata pegawai penyiasat kes tersebut, Inspektor Mohd Najeeb Mohd Esam. Kelas pengajian akan dimulakan 6 Julai ini. Ketiga-tiga pelajar tersebut dicari polis untuk membantu siasatan berhubung kejadian menconteng, antaranya “bini puaka” dan “pembunuh Altantuya” di dewan Akademi Pengajian Islam (API), 24 Jun lalu. Selain contengan, polis juga mengesan simbahan petrol di permaidani yang bakal dilalui isteri perdana menteri Rosmah Mansor untuk menghadiri satu program di situ beberapa jam selepas kejadian itu. Difahamkan, polis dipercayai mencari presiden Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam UM (PMIUM) Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin, Muhammad Aizat Roslan dan Muhammad Saufi Jelani – ketiga-tiganya pelajar API. Shazni Munir belajar di tahun akhir, sementara dua lagi akan memasuki tahun kedua pengajian. Dihubungi Malaysiakini hari ini, pegawai polis Brickfields itu menasihatkan ketiga-tiga mereka menyerah diri dan bekerjasama dengan polis bagi memudahkan siasatan kes tersebut. Selasa lalu, dua pelajar akademi Islam, Mohd Izzuddin Hilmi dan Mohd Syahruldeen Ahmad Rosli, dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur mengikut Seksyen 427 Kanun Keseksaan bagi kesalahan khianat yang menyebabkan kerosakan sekurang-kurangnya RM25. Mohd Izzuddin dan Mohd Syahruldeen juga dituduh bawah Seksyen 436 kanun yang sama iaitu kesalahan khianat dengan api atau benda letupan dengan niat merosakkan harta benda. Seksyen 427 membawa hukuman dua tahun penjara, sementara Seksyen 436 mengakibatkan maksimum 20 tahun penjara. Kesalahan itu juga boleh didenda, jika disabitkan. Mereka didakwa menconteng dinding dewan tersebut, selain menyimbah petrol di permaidani dan dibebaskan semalam selepas ikat jamin RM5,000. Kes mereka akan disebut semula pada 13 Julai ini.

Catholic Relief Services fights hunger in Madagascar

Source: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Date: 01 Jul 2009

July 01, 2009, Baltimore, MD

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that Catholic Relief Services is the lead agency for an $85 million, five-year program designed to help almost a half million people in Madagascar.

The $85 million will support a program called Strengthening and Accessing Livelihoods Opportunities for Household Impact (SALOHI). It will target 98,500 vulnerable households in 120 rural communes and three urban centers in eastern and southern Madagascar.

“Food insecurity is a very real threat for many Malagasy,” said Christopher Bessey, CRS’ Country Representative. “The SALOHI program will use a variety of approaches to address that problem.”

In addition to distributing food to vulnerable children, pregnant women and new mothers, the program will provide education on preventing malnutrition and common diseases, work to increase the production and value of crops in selected areas, as well as provide funding for infrastructure projects designed to help communities withstand climatic shocks and improve access to essential services.

Other agencies in the program are CARE, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and Land O’ Lakes International.

An island nation off the southeast coast of Africa, Madagascar has enormous agricultural potential, yet a majority of its 20 million people struggle to get enough to eat. Two-thirds are subsistence farmers, most living on less than $1 a day, and 38% of the population is undernourished. CRS has been in Madagascar since 1962. Political instability has been the rule, not the exception, since independence from France in 1960.

A few years of relative political calm at the beginning of the 21st century ended earlier this year when the mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina, led demonstrations against the elected president, Marc Ravalomanana. After Ravalomanana was ousted by a military coup, Rajoelina was named head of a transitional government.

“This investment in the future of Madagascar is crucial at this time of political uncertainty,” said Christopher Bessey, the CRS Country Representative. “It is a step to secure the future of the Malagasy people, to show that we have faith in that future, even as their leaders squabble.”