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Hunger in the news

A daily selection of news reports from the world's media dealing with hunger and responses to it.
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Hunger in the news
26 November 2012

Aid Workers Struggle To Provide Services In Congo

Tens of thousands of displaced villagers who fled the fighting are on the march with their belongings, and someone has to take care of them. (..) In these sorts of crises, agencies work together. The Red Cross is already here with water; the World Food Programme is planning high-calorie meals; Catholic Relief Services is looking at shelters.
NPR
Hunger in the news
23 November 2012

U.N. food official makes Thanksgiving visit to her family's West Side church

During a time of year when most Americans indulge, Chicago native and executive director of the U.N.'s World Food Program Ertharin Cousin returned to her West Side neighborhood to help at her family's church and spread a message about global hunger.

Chicago Tribune
Climate Change
23 November 2012

Climate Change: When the damage is done

UN climate change talks in Doha could be on the verge of adding a focus on "loss and damage" to its framing of the global response to climate change. The new issue area would supplement existing emphases on the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change - underscoring the growing realization that simply adjusting to a warmer world may no longer be an option.
IRIN
Hunger in the news
23 November 2012

Haiti's rising food insecurity risks social tension, says FAO

Growing food insecurity in Haiti after Hurricane Sandy risks sparking more social tension, the United Nations Food Agency warned on Thursday, calling for food, farm and transport investment to boost the country's resilience to climate shocks.
Reuters
Hunger in the news
23 November 2012

U.N. food official makes Thanksgiving visit to her family's West Side church

During a time of year when most Americans indulge, Chicago native and executive director of the U.N.'s World Food Program Ertharin Cousin returned to her West Side neighborhood to help at her family's church and spread a message about global hunger. (..) The U.N. World Food Program "served 2,000 people in Gaza (Wednesday) morning. Last month, we fed 1.5 million people in Syria. We're continuing to perform amidst challenges." Eight months into her job, Cousin said much of her work is focused on helping developing countries build safety nets when it comes to food supply, something she said she learned first in Chicago.
Chicago Tribune
Hunger in the news
23 November 2012

U.N. food official makes Thanksgiving visit to her family's West Side church

During a time of year when most Americans indulge, Chicago native and executive director of the U.N.'s World Food Program Ertharin Cousin returned to her West Side neighborhood to help at her family's church and spread a message about global hunger.On Thursday, Cousin joined with leaders at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in West Garfield Park to serve a Thanksgiving meal to community members in need.

Chicago Tribune
Hunger in the news
22 November 2012

Pace of Hunger Reduction in Latin America Slowing: U.N. Agency

About 49 million people were hungry in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2010 and 2012, indicating a slower pace of hunger reduction due to weaker economic growth and high levels of inequality, a United Nations agency said on Thursday. (..) The export-dependent region is undergoing a commodities-led boom, but a slowdown in key trade partner China and unequal wealth distribution have hurt efforts to combat hunger, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report.
The New York Times / Reuters
Hunger in the news
22 November 2012

Pakistan: Inflation hits food security

Despite efforts by the Pakistani government and international organizations, inflation, declining income, natural disasters and stagnating domestic productivity are hampering attempts to achieve food security for the country’s 180 million citizens. (..) “Over the last couple of years, Pakistan has officially been a food surplus country in terms of cereal production,” says Krishna Pahari, head of WFP’s Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping unit in Islamabad. “But many households here don’t have access to that food. Many are marginal, deficit, subsistence farmers whose own production is not enough to meet their needs.”
IRIN
Hunger in the news
22 November 2012

Feed the hungry, the "Silent Guest" at Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving arrives hopefully everyone can remember the "silent guest" at their holiday meal, one of the world's hungry. Back in 1947 that is exactly what Americans did on the Thanksgiving holiday, sending a donation to feed their silent guest to a committee in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Their generosity meant a CARE package of food for a hungry person overseas in countries devastated by World War II.

Examiner.com
Hunger in the news
21 November 2012

Lebanon: Concern for Syrian refugees as winter approaches

Winter is approaching fast for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, who are facing night-time temperatures that regularly dip below zero. (..) The overall plan includes the distribution of mattresses, blankets, warm clothes, stoves for heating and fuel, implemented with partners including Caritas, the World Food Programme, the Danish Refugee Council, World Vision, the UN Population Fund and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (..) The continuing stream of Syrian refugees into Lebanon will only make things harder.
IRIN