G8 leaders fail to show up as food crisis deepens
ROME - As one in six people go hungry, the World Food Summit could have been a historic opportunity to address a defunct global food system.But many of the G8 leaders won’t be attending – none are confirmed apart from Italy.
“This is unacceptable,” said Francisco Sarmento, ActionAid’s head of food rights.
“There is something fundamentally wrong when the final declaration has several important commitments such as the Right to Food and the recognition of a new global governance structure for our food system.”
“Sixty leaders are coming from around the world to this important UN summit but where are the leaders from all the G8 countries? This doesn’t signal they are serious about finding global solutions to hunger.”
“A global response, with leaders working together and those affected involved, is vital if we are to resolve the food crisis,” said Sarmento.
“In the World Food Summit declaration, governments are talking about transparency, accountability and support to FAO but the actions of some leaders are inconsistent with the rhetoric.”
