Clinton: 'Feed the Future' working; Chicago Council brief questions funding
In a World Food Day statement issued Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration’s “Feed the Future” initiative is improving access to and availability of food in developing countries. But the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has published an issue brief that says the program’s record is “mixed” and endangered by budget constraints.
In her statement, Clinton noted that more than 13 million people are affected by hunger in the Horn of Africa, making it the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today. The situation there shows the need for long-term solutions, she added.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
“The United States will continue to provide food aid during these crisis situations, but long-term solutions to food security must be treated with the same sense of urgency,” Clinton said. “That’s why the Obama Administration started our ‘Feed the Future’ initiative. Through it, the United States government is working with partner countries, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders to improve access and availability to nutritious food.
“And we are teaching families how to ensure their own food security, so that someday help from donors will no longer be needed,” Clinton said. “While we recognize that food security cannot be achieved overnight, we are committed to taking steps in the right direction. We have the know-how, the tools, resources, and, increasingly, the political will to rise to this global challenge. If we unite as an international community and stay focused on both the challenges and opportunities, we will help more people around the world realize their God-given potential.”
The Chicago Council issue brief, written by Larry Nowels, a former Congressional Research Service foreign affairs specialist and now a consultant to the Hewlett Foundation, says that the administration had “prioritized” a new approach to the hunger issue with Feed the Future’s “country-owned plans based on individual country-owned strategies,” and its pledge to provide $3.5 billion of the $22 billion G8 leaders promised in L’Aquila, Italy ,in July 2009 to develop a long-term sustainable food security plan.
But current congressional debates over funding levels leave a question of whether the United States will be able to fulfill its L’Aquila commitment and whether “Feed the Future could continue as a major initiative,” Nowels wrote.
In her statement, Clinton noted that more than 13 million people are affected by hunger in the Horn of Africa, making it the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today. The situation there shows the need for long-term solutions, she added.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
“The United States will continue to provide food aid during these crisis situations, but long-term solutions to food security must be treated with the same sense of urgency,” Clinton said. “That’s why the Obama Administration started our ‘Feed the Future’ initiative. Through it, the United States government is working with partner countries, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders to improve access and availability to nutritious food.
“And we are teaching families how to ensure their own food security, so that someday help from donors will no longer be needed,” Clinton said. “While we recognize that food security cannot be achieved overnight, we are committed to taking steps in the right direction. We have the know-how, the tools, resources, and, increasingly, the political will to rise to this global challenge. If we unite as an international community and stay focused on both the challenges and opportunities, we will help more people around the world realize their God-given potential.”
The Chicago Council issue brief, written by Larry Nowels, a former Congressional Research Service foreign affairs specialist and now a consultant to the Hewlett Foundation, says that the administration had “prioritized” a new approach to the hunger issue with Feed the Future’s “country-owned plans based on individual country-owned strategies,” and its pledge to provide $3.5 billion of the $22 billion G8 leaders promised in L’Aquila, Italy ,in July 2009 to develop a long-term sustainable food security plan.
But current congressional debates over funding levels leave a question of whether the United States will be able to fulfill its L’Aquila commitment and whether “Feed the Future could continue as a major initiative,” Nowels wrote.
