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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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Climate Change
6 March 2013

Philippine cities tackle climate change

When asked what resilience means, the head of city planning for the Philippines’ second largest city, Davao, said that for Filipinos it means how high floodwater reaches before they agree to be evacuated. (..) “Awareness is not enough,” said the World Food Programme’s (WFP) country representative, Stephen Anderson. “Local governments don’t act on information from climate hazard maps,” he told IRIN, explaining why WFP, along with the UN Human Settlements Programme, is helping to “climate-proof” four cities - Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Davao - under a US-funded climate change adaptation programme that is helping city officials conduct vulnerability assessments and implement pilot projects based on identified climate threats.
IRIN News
Hunger in the news
6 March 2013

UN-backed team celebrates International Women’s Day atop Mount Kilimanjaro

An all-female climbing team supported by the United Nations today reached the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, in celebration of International Women’s Day, which will be observed on 8 March. (..) “We are on the top! Nothing is impossible if we struggle to pursue our dreams,” said Nimdoma Sherpa, who is also a former recipient of school meals provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Nepal. The team, which began their ascent on 28 February, documented their journey on the online platform Twitter, using the hastag #WFPkili2013. In coming days, they will visit schools around Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Moshi to share their inspiring stories and talk about the importance of education.
UN News Centre
Hunger in the news
6 March 2013

Number of Syrian Refugees Hits 1 Million, U.N. Says

The relentless exodus of Syrians fleeing two years of increasingly violent conflict pushed the number of refugees in neighboring countries passed the million mark on Wednesday, the United Nations Refugee agency said, warning that resources for helping them are dangerously thin. (..) An additional worry for relief agencies is that the funding received from donors has failed to keep pace with the accelerating scale of refugee needs.
The New York Times
Hunger in the news
6 March 2013

WFP scales up operations to help 2.5 million Syrians by April

"The food situation countrywide is getting worse," said Muhannad Hadi, WFP Regional Emergency Coordinator for Syria and neighbouring countries. (..) The WFP has not been able to establish the total number of Syrians needing food aid because it has been unable to gain access to all parts of the country, Hadi said. (..) Asked if he was confident aid was being evenly distributed between government- and rebel-held areas, Hadi said almost half the WFP food aid went to Syrians in opposition areas. "We work in both government and non-government controlled areas. We cross lines within Syria," Hadi said.
Reuters Alertnet
Hunger in the news
6 March 2013

World Food Program says refugee funds running out

The World Food Program will run out of money to provide displaced Syrians with food in the coming months unless Canada and other international donors step in to help, the organization’s top executive says. (..) Ertharin Cousin, who met Tuesday with International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino, said the organization is ramping up its services as needs in Syria grow.
The Globe and Mail
Hunger in the news
6 March 2013

World Food Program says refugee funds running out

Rather than scale down operations to ensure its money lasts longer, Ms. Cousin said she has decided to take the opposite approach. “I’ve said, ‘No, lean forward. Use every single dollar every month to feed as many people as we can access,’” she said. “And then, we continue to go to the donors and say, ‘You don’t want people to go hungry.’”

The Globe and Mail
Hunger in the news
5 March 2013

One Million Syrian Refugees

On Wednesday, my colleagues will register the one millionth Syrian refugee. A milestone in human tragedy. (..)As the devastation gets worse, it becomes more difficult, even life threatening, to access food, water or medicines. Syria’s children are the worst affected.
The New York Times
Hunger in the news
5 March 2013

Are women the secret weapon in the battle for food security?

The notion that gender equality can play an important role in reducing hunger and malnutrition has gained increasing traction in development circles. (..) So, given the task of exploring the issues surrounding gender and food security, what fresh impetus could Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, lend the debate? (..) Well, for a start he hopes to persuade governments of the need for wholesale change at every level of society.
The Guardian
Hunger in the news
5 March 2013

Understanding resilience

No one working in the aid community in recent years could have avoided the buzzword “resilience” - but what does the term mean practically, and how has it helped shape action on the ground? (..) Lynn Brown, the World Food Programme's chief economist, says the problem is “trying to do emergency work in a way that seamlessly transitions to development as the immediate emergency dissipates.”
IRIN News
Hunger in the news
4 March 2013

The FAO must do more to promote food as a basic human right

Should the UN's leading food security agency prioritise helping countries boost their agricultural production with subsidised chemical fertiliser, or promote ecological farming practices? Should it help countries protect themselves against import surges, or open them to the global marketplace? Should it work exclusively with national ministries of agriculture, or demand inter-ministerial and civil society participation? (..) Supporting countries and regions to design their food security strategies is the bread and butter of what the FAO does – and has yielded many impressive results.
The Guardian

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