Coalition Statement of Support for the Global Food Security Act of 2016 (S.1252)
As organizations engaged in efforts to end global hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty, we applaud the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for scheduling a markup of the Global Food Security Act (S.1252). We thank Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-MD) for their leadership, and now urge the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee to move this important bill out of Committee. We also thank Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA) for their leadership and originally introducing this important piece of bipartisan legislation. These Senators are well-known leaders in the fight against global hunger and malnutrition, as well as champions of small-scale producers’ efforts to lift themselves out of poverty.
Globally, 795 million people are hungry and malnutrition causes nearly half of all deaths of children under 5 (3.1 million children) each year. Hunger and malnutrition prevent millions of people in developing countries from living healthy, productive lives and stunt the mental and physical development of future generations.
After decades of declining support for farmers in developing countries, renewed U.S. leadership from President Bush and now President Obama has sparked a global commitment to help people feed themselves. Governments, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, businesses, multilateral institutions, and producers themselves have all recommitted to fighting extreme hunger and malnutrition through new agriculture-focused investments. The impacts are clear. Growth in the agriculture sector is 11 times as effective at reducing poverty as growth in other sectors in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Global Food Security Act is an exciting step forward in building the political will needed to end global hunger and malnutrition in our lifetime. The Act includes the development and implementation of a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to combat hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. The strategy focuses on increasing sustainable and equitable agricultural development; reducing global hunger; and improving nutrition – especially in the key first 1,000 days between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday. The legislation also promotes country ownership and accountability, improving upon existing monitoring and evaluation practices to ensure U.S. taxpayer investments are implemented transparently, efficiently, and effectively.
In addition to capturing and improving upon the successes that the U.S. government is already achieving through its Feed the Future Initiative, this legislation authorizes the continued use of the International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account to respond to emergency food needs by creating the Emergency Food Response Fund. We strongly support the Emergency Food Response Fund, which supports the continued use of response tools such as cash transfers, food vouchers, and local and regional procurement to meet the needs of communities affected by manmade or natural disasters in places like Syria, Yemen, and Nepal. The bill also maintains IDA’s existing flexibility to ensure the U.S. government can respond appropriately to the challenging and changing needs of vulnerable people affected by disasters.
We support passage of the Global Food Security Act, a bill that responds to the full spectrum of food security needs. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Administration to pass the Global Food Security Act and help ensure U.S. leadership continues to sustainably tackle global hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty in the most effective ways possible.
As organizations engaged in efforts to end global hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty, we applaud the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for scheduling a markup of the Global Food Security Act (S.1252). We thank Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-MD) for their leadership, and now urge the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee to move this important bill out of Committee. We also thank Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA) for their leadership and originally introducing this important piece of bipartisan legislation. These Senators are well-known leaders in the fight against global hunger and malnutrition, as well as champions of small-scale producers’ efforts to lift themselves out of poverty.
Globally, 795 million people are hungry and malnutrition causes nearly half of all deaths of children under 5 (3.1 million children) each year. Hunger and malnutrition prevent millions of people in developing countries from living healthy, productive lives and stunt the mental and physical development of future generations.
After decades of declining support for farmers in developing countries, renewed U.S. leadership from President Bush and now President Obama has sparked a global commitment to help people feed themselves. Governments, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, businesses, multilateral institutions, and producers themselves have all recommitted to fighting extreme hunger and malnutrition through new agriculture-focused investments. The impacts are clear. Growth in the agriculture sector is 11 times as effective at reducing poverty as growth in other sectors in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Global Food Security Act is an exciting step forward in building the political will needed to end global hunger and malnutrition in our lifetime. The Act includes the development and implementation of a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to combat hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. The strategy focuses on increasing sustainable and equitable agricultural development; reducing global hunger; and improving nutrition – especially in the key first 1,000 days between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday. The legislation also promotes country ownership and accountability, improving upon existing monitoring and evaluation practices to ensure U.S. taxpayer investments are implemented transparently, efficiently, and effectively.
In addition to capturing and improving upon the successes that the U.S. government is already achieving through its Feed the Future Initiative, this legislation authorizes the continued use of the International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account to respond to emergency food needs by creating the Emergency Food Response Fund. We strongly support the Emergency Food Response Fund, which supports the continued use of response tools such as cash transfers, food vouchers, and local and regional procurement to meet the needs of communities affected by manmade or natural disasters in places like Syria, Yemen, and Nepal. The bill also maintains IDA’s existing flexibility to ensure the U.S. government can respond appropriately to the challenging and changing needs of vulnerable people affected by disasters.
We support passage of the Global Food Security Act, a bill that responds to the full spectrum of food security needs. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Administration to pass the Global Food Security Act and help ensure U.S. leadership continues to sustainably tackle global hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty in the most effective ways possible.
1.
1,000 Days
2.
ACDI/VOCA
3.
Action Against Hunger
4.
ActionAid USA
5.
ADRA International
6.
Alliance to End Hunger
7.
American Academy of Pediatrics
8.
American Jewish World Service
9.
Amref Health Africa
10. Association
for International Agriculture
11. and
Rural Development (AIARD)
12. Association
of Public and Land-grant
13. Universities
14. Auburn
University Hunger Solutions
15. Institute
16. Bread
for the World
17. CARE
USA
18. Catholic
Relief Services
19. Church
World Service
20. Concern
Worldwide US
21. Congressional
Hunger Center
22. Counterpart
International
23. Edesia
24. Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
25. Fabretto
Children’s Foundation
26. Farm
Journal Foundation
27. Food
for the Hungry
28. FRB
- Foods Resource Bank
29. Global
Communities
30. Global
Food Exchange, LLC
31. Global
Harvest Initiative
32. Global
Health Council
33. Global
Poverty Project
34. Global
Water Challenge
35. GrainPro
Inc.
36. Heartland
Global, Inc.
37. Heifer
International
38. Helen
Keller International
39. INMED
Partnerships for Children
40. InterAction
41. International
Medical Corps
42. Islamic
Relief USA
43. JAM
- Joint Aid Management
44. Lutheran
World Relief
45. MANA
Nutrition
46. Mercy
Corps
47. Mercy-USA
for Aid and Development
48. NCBA
CLUSA
49. ONE
50. One
Acre Fund
51. Outreach,
Inc.
52. Oxfam
America
53. PCI
54. Presbyterian
Church (USA)
55. Salesian
Missions, Inc.
56. Save
the Children
57. Self
Help Africa
58. Stop
Hunger Now
59. The
Borgen Project
60. The
Episcopal Church
61. The
Hunger Project
62. United
Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
63. United
Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
64. U.S.
Fund for UNICEF
65. Volunteers
for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA)
66. Water
for South Sudan, Inc.
67. Women
Thrive Worldwide
68. World
Concern
69. World
Food Program USA
70. World
Vision
