David Cameron's message to anti-hunger IF campaign
The Prime Minister welcomes the NGO campaign on food
In a video message, the Prime Minister has today has set out the UK’s position on global hunger.
He explained:
The UK is leading the fight against global hunger. The generosity of our people and the hard work of our charities have helped millions of families get the food they need.
But there is still more to do. Times are hard here in the UK, but they are infinitely harder for the world’s poorest families. Nearly a billion people around the world do not get enough food. And undernutrition holds back the growth and development of millions of children.
This is simply not acceptable in 2013.
That’s why I welcome the NGO campaign on food. I know that this is an issue which people up and down the country feel strongly about and will be campaigning on this year. I’m determined that this Coalition Government will listen to their passion and lead the world.
Last year, our Olympic Hunger Summit generated new commitments to create drought resistant and vitamin enriched crops which could help feed 45 million people for a year, and to roll out nutrition rich seeds to benefit 3 million people.
The UK will continue to lead in 2013, using a special event before our G8 summit to drive further global action to reduce hunger and malnutrition. We will also drive forward progress on the G8 New Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition. I want to see scientific innovation, better accountability by governments, the private sector doing more, and greater co-operation between governments, civil society and business. Together we can all help tackle under-nutrition, prevent stunting and improve children’s life chances.
We need to tackle the root causes of hunger and poverty, not just the symptoms. So I will use the UK’s G8 to help build the open economies, open societies and open government which drives lasting prosperity. We will take action to promote transparency in extractive industries, so that the wealth of developing countries is used to tackle hunger and poverty, and not stolen by corrupt elites. We’ll work to ensure that everyone pays the tax they owe. And we’ll promote trade, to spur growth and wealth creation.
I’m convinced that by the end of this year, this bold and transformative policy agenda can make a huge difference for millions of people around the world. And I welcome the energy, passion and commitment of the many hundreds of thousands of people throughout the UK who will be campaigning on this issue in 2013.