Annan: Financial crisis undercuts global food aid

Source: AP

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Wealthy nations are reneging on commitments to help feed the world's hungry and may cite the banking crisis as a reason why they cannot do more, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told an international conference on combating starvation Thursday.

Annan's address on World Food Day emphasized that 10,000 children in the Third World would die from malnutrition on Thursday alone - and this should be viewed as great a tragedy as the collapse of a bank.

"The financial crisis deserves urgent attention and focus. But so does the question of hunger. Millions (this year) are liable to die. Is that any less urgent?" Annan told journalists at the Fighting Hunger conference attended by 200 foreign-aid experts from Europe, Africa and the United States.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_IRELAND_GLOBAL_HUNGER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-10-16-08-50-38