Chilren in Malawi eating a meal of maizeporridge. Hunger and malnourishment makes children unable to properly attend school and thus poses a threat to the very future of many poor countries. Photo: DCA.

”We need massive investment in the agriculture of developing countries, if we wish to end the current hunger disaster. It is the opinion of DanChurchAid, that the issue of food must be put at the top of the political agenda.” This is the immediate comment from General Secretary Henrik Stubkjær, after he was presented with the findings from the newly issued report from the Food and Agricutiure Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The report states, that the number of starvation and malnourished people has been on the rise during the latest decade. Furthermore, the global financial â€" and food crisis have both added to the numbers of starving, pushing the number of starving and malnourished past one billion worldwide.

More than a billion living with hungerThe amount of starving and malnourished people has increased by 100 million since last year. Today, 1.02 billion people starve, as stated in FAO’s annual report http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/36207/icode/# ”The world leaders reacted decisively when the financial crisis hit, and quickly mobilized billions of dollars to deal with the consequences. We need a similar reaction to fight hunger and poverty,” says Director of FAO, Jacques Diouf in connection to the reports publication. Lack of political will for change Jacques Diouf calls it ”unbearable” that starvation is increasing, and he criticizes the international community for lack of political commitment to the eradication of hunger. ”We have the financial and technological means to fight hunger at our disposal. But the political initiative to eradicate hunger completely is missing. Investment in agriculture in developing countries is the key to progress, and the development of a healthy agricultural sector is essential both in fighting hunger and poverty, and in ensuring economical growth, peace and stability worldwide,” says Jacques Diouf At this moment, the Danish government is working on a new general strategy for Danish development aid.

”In the light of the findings in FAO’s report, we demand that the fight against hunger gains a higher priority in the new Danish development policy,” says Henrik Stubkjær.