By Jaideep Sarin
L’Aquila (Italy), July 10 (IANS) Over a billion people in the world are suffering from hunger and poverty and the global economic crisis has plunged nearly 100 million into extreme poverty. This is threatening to jeopardise the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), leading economies and institutions have acknowledged here.

In a joint statement issued Friday by 27 countries, including G8 and G5 members, and international institutions after their meeting on international food security in this quake-hit Italian town, serious concerns have been expressed about global food security.

“We remain deeply concerned about global food security, the impact of the global financial and economic crisis and last year’s spike in food prices on the countries least able to respond to increased hunger and poverty. While the prices of food commodities have decreased since their peak of 2008, they remain high in historical terms and volatile,” the joint statement said.

“The combined effect of longstanding underinvestment in agriculture and food security, price trends and the economic crisis have led to increased hunger and poverty in developing countries, plunging more than a further 100 million people into extreme poverty and jeopardising the progress achieved so far in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The number of people suffering from hunger and poverty now exceeds one billion,” it added.

Seeking decisive action to free humankind from hunger and poverty, leaders of these countries and institutions said food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture must remain a priority issue on the political agenda.

The participating countries pledged to mobilize $20 billion over three years through a coordinated, comprehensive strategy focused on sustainable agriculture development, keeping a strong commitment to ensure adequate emergency food aid assistance.

They urged other countries and private actors to join in the common effort towards global food security through a coherent approach.

Assuring to act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security, the statement sought countries and institutions to partner with vulnerable countries and regions to help them develop and implement their own food security strategies. It supported substantially increased and sustained commitments of financial and technical assistance to invest in those strategies.

Developing and poor countries have told the G8 and other developed countries that they were the worst hit by the global financial crisis and immediate steps were needed to check this misery. They have sought adequate, affordable and nutritious food for their people.

The statement called upon all countries to remove food export restrictions or extraordinary taxes, especially for food purchased for humanitarian purposes, and to consult and notify in advance before imposing any new restriction.

“Markets must remain open, protectionism rejected and factors potentially affecting commodity price volatility,” the statement added.