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UN's Ban to Fast in Solidarity with World's Hungry
UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will join a 24-hour fast called by the U.N. food chief to show solidarity with the world's 1 billion hungry ahead of a food security summit next week, a spokeswoman said on Friday.
Children look out as they play inside an auto rickshaw in a shanty area in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Nov, 12, 2009. Nearly 200 million children in poor countries have stunted growth because of insufficient nutrition, with South Asia accounting for 83 million hungry children under five. Jacques Diouf, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, called on the world to join him in a day of fasting Saturday to highlight the plight of 1 billion hungry people.
(AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General
Jacques Diouf said on Wednesday he would not eat for 24 hours starting
Saturday morning, and called on people around the world to follow suit.
"The secretary-general intends to join the fast over the weekend," U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe told reporters. She said that at the time of his fast Ban would be in transit to the food summit, which opens on Monday in Rome.
The FAO has called the November 16-18 summit with the hope of winning a clear pledge by world leaders to spend $44 billion a year to help poor nations become self-sufficient in food.
But a final draft declaration seen by Reuters includes only a general commitment to pump more money into agricultural development and makes no mention of a proposal to eliminate hunger by 2025.
Okabe said Ban was expected to say in his address to the summit that it was unacceptable that so many people were hungry when the world had more than enough food.
"He will also highlight the human cost of the recent food, energy and economic crises and say that these crises are a wake-up call for tomorrow," she said, adding that Ban would also stress the link between food security and climate change.
(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; Editing by Paul Simao)
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7 Comments so far
Show AllIf the Hungry were a Bank or war the funds would be unlimited.
"If people were forced to eat what they killed,there would be no more wars!" Abbie Hoffman peas
How many tears must be shed by eyes that have not seen mirth or a morsel from the time of waking to the Sun going down?
Is this what one would call a life;a diet of nothing or a bit that can not even touch the sides of a stomach?
What of a world of the few that have the plenty and yet would neither see our bodies nor share of any,any they might have?
War,bankers and all who would gather of the worlds lucre from even the mouths of we who have nothing,yea,nothig to share amongest our own bellies.Tony
See - the rich and powerful never take responsibility, never pay for their privileges and wealth. They don't give a damn about the poor. Let them eat cake.
This UN fast for a mere 24 hours is NOTHING; it's a joke. The UN summit is evidently also going to be just another joke, stage show.
Mike, Briar, and mustbefree, if you're going to post cheap shots you better be prepared to eat your words. I'm an ex-pat living in South Korea (and no I don't care how you feel about this) Here's a perspective from this tiny much unregarded little country. For one, it's a global economic powerhouse yes, ie: Samsung, KIA, Kubota, Hyundai. Be that as such, it's also where all energy saving technologies are implemented and are daily life. (I have to push a button just to take a shower!) It's people are respectful, humble and industrious. (They must be, how else do you become a global leader just 50 years after civil war destroyed your country?) Politics? Ban Ki-moon is not talking out of his arse. He's speaking from experience coming from a nation that has come up from zero, and did so with all due consideration for all it's citizens and for citizens of the entire world. He talks about fixing climate change, and the people and the government respond by passing a law to put 2% of it's GDP into creation of making Korea the first nation in the world a green economy. Not with smoke and mirrors, but with already existing technology that is already in every aspect of daily life. This tiny little humble nation is not arguing if it's worth it, not asking itself will it make a dent? No, they are saying, "Yes we will do this because it's the right thing to do." So what do I expect when Ban Ki-Moon shows solidarity to the world's children? I'm expecting that I may well have to fast soon along with the rest of this tiny nation. Be that as it may, it may all seem ineffectual to you for South Korea or the UN to do anything. Surely you have a point, the world isn't always paying attention, but the inevitable conclusion I've come to from being here is, not yet. Because it's only a matter of time. And yes, I'm enjoying National Health Care and a populace that smiles a lot.