In December 2009, the city of Copenhagen played host to governments from around the world as leaders met for two weeks of negotiations on a new international treaty on climate change. The current treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, was developed in the mid-1990s and will expire in 2012. Scientists have learned a great deal about the dimensions and dynamics of the climate change problem since the Kyoto agreement was drafted.
Four - In It Together: International Cooperation to Confront Global Hunger and Malnutrition Challenges
A surge in food prices in 2007-2008 captured global attention and brought the root causes of hunger and malnutrition to the fore. The hunger crisis ginned up political will around the world as policymakers made global hunger and malnutrition the focus of attention. For all the political will that was generated in response to the hunger crisis, hungry and poor people remain on tenuous ground. Donor countries and international institutions have increased their investments in agriculture and nutrition, yet climate change could undermine most or all of the progress to date. International trade talks have stalled. All of these interconnected challenges require coordinated and concerted global action. If U.S. investments to reduce hunger and poverty through Feed the Future are to maximize their impact, the United States will have to lead international efforts to strengthen the capacity of the world to prevent and respond to hunger crises and find solutions to some of these global issues such as climate change and trade. The challenge in 2011 (and beyond) will be how to harness the political will mobilized by the hunger crisis to resolve related problems that also require urgent international cooperation.
Recommendation
The United States should take the lead in strengthening international institutions that complement U.S. bilateral assistance in fighting hunger and malnutrition.
Our Global Public Goods
Working Together for a Common Good
The 2008 global financial crisis showed how interconnected national economies are in the 21st century. A housing bubble in the United States burst, and the whole world plunged into recession. The spike in food commodity prices in 2007-2008 was due partly to financial speculation in rich countries,3 energy policy in the United States, droughts in Australia, and long-term neglect of investments in agriculture and food security.4 An additional 100 million people were plunged into hunger by the resulting runaway food and fuel prices.
Food Security and Nutrition—a Global Issue
In late 2007 and early 2008, there was widespread unrest over the rising cost of staple foods. Riots were reported in 37 countries. In Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, 10,000 workers rioted. Many governments called on their armies to quell violence related to food prices. In Haiti, the prime minister had to step down after ordering a ruthless crackdown on protests in Port-au-Prince.
Tackling Global Issues that Threaten Progress Against Hunger
Putting strategies in place to contain climate change is critical to the success of any hunger and malnutrition initiative. Everything that Feed the Future and other international initiatives are hoping to achieve in the near term depends on substantial progress in global efforts to minimize the impact of climate change.
U.S. Leadership in the Fight against Hunger and Malnutrition
Feed the Future will be operating within a broader movement: rich and poor countries alike support making more assistance available for smallholder farmers and for improvements in maternal and child nutrition. The surge in food prices in 2007-2008 and the unprecedented rise in hunger that followed galvanized many countries to focus on smallholder agriculture. The crisis focused attention on the root causes of hunger and malnutrition; and those roots led straight to rural areas and families struggling to get by on subsistence agriculture.
Development—A Crowded Field
Today, the number and diversity of partners working on international development is vastly different than just a couple of decades ago. For example, the amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) distributed through nongovernmental channels has increased tenfold since 1990 and it’s estimated that there are as many as 30,000 national nongovernmental organizations in developing countries.
