Sharing America's Food Bounty is One Key to World Security

Catholic Relief Services
Tuesday, 23 April 2002

Ensuring food security for millions of the world's poor is a vital component to a more peaceful and secure global society in a post 9/11 environment, according to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Executive Director Ken Hackett, speaking on behalf of a coalition of U.S. international humanitarian aid agencies.

"Food security for the world's poor will go a long way toward increasing global security and consequently, national security for us," said Hackett, who today moderated a panel discussion of aid agency CEOs at the Export Food Aid Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. "America's food aid program is a critical resource to achieving global food security, and it has never been so necessary." The annual conference is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

In his address, Hackett recognized the unique partnership among U.S. government, farmers, scientists, food processors, packagers, transporters and international humanitarian organizations that make the U.S. food aid program possible. "This partnership has delivered lifesaving emergency relief and sustainable development assistance for nearly 60 years," Hackett said.

As the U.S. confronts terrorism worldwide, Hackett noted this type of foreign assistance is more relevant than ever in U.S. foreign policy. "We need the framework for long-term national security. This framework needs to address the reality that wide-spread and intolerable poverty, disease, and hunger are the fuel that terrorists seek to ignite," Hackett said. "Where AIDS is undercutting the productive capacity of whole societies, where war is destroying livelihoods, where hunger is preventing the next generation of leaders from reaching its potential, terrorists can exploit innocent people in their war with our nation."

From 1996 – 2000, 5.6 million tons of U.S. commodities worth approximately $2 billion were delivered to people in need around the world, based on aggregate figures from the 13 members of the Food Aid Coalition. The Food Aid Coalition is a group of private international humanitarian organizations that address poverty in 115 countries. In 2000 alone, CRS handled more than 374,000 metric tons of U.S. government-donated food.

Noting President Bush's announcement last month that the U.S. will seek to increase foreign aid by 50%, Hackett called for an increase in the amount of food made available through long-standing food aid programs such as Food for Peace and Food for Progress. "Expanding needs-based food aid programs will help meet both short-term hunger needs and long-term development needs," Hackett said, explaining that food assistance is often combined with long-term development projects in education, health, micro-finance, and agriculture.

"We believe in sharing America's bounty with the world's poorest and hungriest. Our support through food aid programs can mean the difference between a child going to school or not going to school; having something to eat during a famine and having nothing," Hackett said.

Additionally, he emphasized that food aid programs should be streamlined to allow aid organizations to reach more people in a greater number of countries. "A streamlined and strengthened food aid partnership between humanitarian aid organizations and federal agencies will also bring the opportunities and positive values of our society to all," Hackett said. Food Aid Coalition members have recommended that organizations implementing food aid programs be certified for an expedited government approval process of multi-year and multi-country proposals.

Commodity suppliers, packagers and transporters along with government representatives and humanitarian aid organizations attend the annual USDA/USAID Export Food Aid Conference. Former Senator George McGovern, Under Secretary of Agriculture J.B. Penn and USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios also addressed the conference.

CRS has been meeting the food needs of the poor since 1943 when the agency aided victims of the Second World War. Over time, the agency's relief and development projects have moved beyond simply distributing food to supporting individuals' capacity to meet their own food needs. CRS provides assistance on the basis of need, not race, creed or nationality to people in 87 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org