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Press
release
For Immediate Release
September 17, 2007
Newshook: Opening of the the 62nd United Nations General Assembly.
Shabana Azmi, Indian actress will represent the India case on hunger in New York.
HungerFREE Campaign Tells UN: "Put food on the table"
New York - With 35,000 people dying of hunger every day and governments failing to meet their millennium commitment to halve hunger by 2015, the international development agency, ActionAid's HungerFREE campaign is
calling for food and hunger to play a central role "on the table" of the 62nd United Nations General Assembly Meetings.
"The UN is failing on its commitment to the world's poor. 11 years ago, governments committed to halving hunger by 2015 at the World Food Summit. At that time, there were 800 million hungry people across the globe. Today, 854 million are
hungry. That's 17% of the world's population." said Thomas Johnny, Policy Research Manager at ActionAid Sierra Leone,
"Hunger results from a lack of political will and bad policies. If the UN doesn't take action, some 35,000 people a day, if not more, will continue to die,"
added Thomas Johnny.
"T he right to food is a human right. This right must no longer be ignored." said Colm O Cuanachain, ActionAid's International Campaign Director. "We must challenge the UN member states to fulfil their millennium commitments and enact a strong resolution on food and hunger to ensure that the Millennium Development
Goals are not just political rhetoric."
Campaigners from across the globe will protest outside the United Nations at Ralph Bunche Plaza daily from 1:15-3:00PM, September 18th - 21st. Campaigners will also present case studies during meetings scheduled with UN
Missions. Celebrities, including actors from Hollywood, Bollywood, and Nollywood (Nigerian cinema), will take part in a special action September 25 th.
ActionAid is demanding that governments follow recent examples of countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, South Africa, Venezuela, and Bolivia, where positive legal, policy and administrative steps have been taken towards the implementation of the
right to food at the national level.
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Spokespeople and Quotes from India:
Shabana Azmi , actress, activist and ActionAid India spokesperson for HungerFree campaign says:
"Economic development in India coincides with bleak choices millions are forced to make in order to survive. The fact that India alone is home to 221 million hunger-affected, brings out the stark reality."
"Some communities in India like Musahars have been subjected to hunger and starvation deaths for ages, also being the most marginalized of the poor and the dalits; while there are the tribal communities of Orissa who will soon lose their food security if
natural resources like mountains and streams are taken over by multinational companies."
"We cannot bask in the glory of development when millions go hungry in a country of abundance."
Babu Mathew , country director, ActionAid India says:
"The challenge in India is not just to talk about making growth inclusive, but to make inclusive growth a reality. One step in this direction is to ensure a safety net for the poorest groups and that welfare schemes reach the people for whom they are intended.
Rights enshrined in the Constitution must be made good for all citizens, not just the fortunate few."
"Hunger is one of the most extreme forms of denial of rights. The contours of hunger are experienced differently in different communities, countries and continents."
"In India it is clear that displacement and destruction of livelihood are creating India's 'new hungry'
Note to Editors:
ActionAid's HungerFREE campaign, which spans more than 30 countries, calls on governments to deliver on their Millennium Development Goal commitment to
halve hunger by 2015, by ensuring that they respect, protect and fulfil the right to food; strengthen corporate regulations; expose companies when they exploit poor people; and protect poor women's access to land.
HungerFREE protests will take place daily September 18th – 21st from 1:15-3:00PM at Ralph Bunche Plaza, 1st Avenue , between 42nd and 43rd Streets, in Manhattan, NY. Between the 18th and 25th, HungerFree case studies featuring Hunger and violations of people's right to food in Brazil, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Senegal and Uganda will be released to the media. To receive embargoed copies of one of these cases, please e-mail
alexandre.polack@actionaid.org
A special protest, featuring celebrities from Hollywood, Bollywood, and Nollywood (Nigerian film), will take place at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza September 25th. Journalists may register for advance media advisories by e-mailing
sandy.krawitz@actionaid.org .
ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in over 40 countries, taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice together. Actionaid launched this year the HungerFREE campaign, a global campaign to force governments to deliver on
their commitment to halve world hunger by 2015. www.actionaid.org
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