ONE Blog

Financial Times: Global hunger forces itself to the top of political agenda
The Financial Times reports that the food crisis of the past few years has elevated the issue to the highest level of government. The move to involve the “whole of the government” signals how food security has become a global political preoccupation as the number of chronically hungry people tops one billion and agricultural commodity prices soar. According to Secretary of State Clinton, “Food security is not just about food. But it is all about security – economic security, environmental security, even national security.”

Reuters: Conditions in place for new food crisis, FAO warns
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that poor nations battered by record food prices last year need international help to raise agricultural output given conditions are still ripe for another food crisis. In an interview ahead of a global summit on food security in Rome next week, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said more aid was needed to curb the rising number of hungry people in the world, which topped 1 billion for the first time this year. Diouf told Reuters on Monday that “There is a lack of priority in fighting hunger and poverty at the highest political level, not only in developed countries but in developing countries.”

Politico – Veterans join front lines of climate fight
Politico reports that veterans groups have unexpectedly become a key weapon for environmentalists in their bid to win over swing votes on California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer’s climate change bill. With groups such as VoteVets.org making the argument that climate change has huge ramifications for the military, “scores of retired admirals and generals are lending their stars to the boards of energy security organizations in ways that could expand the political base for new climate change policies.”

Reuters: WTO’s Lamy says U.S. slowing Doha talks: report
The World Trade Organization’s Director General, Pascal Lamy, said that after a year spent putting in place the new U.S. administration, next year’s U.S. mid-term elections could prove a further problem in finalizing the Doha talks. He further emphasized that the time does not seem adequate for completing the WTO round given time required for international talks on disarmament and climate change. Remarked Lamy, “International trade, that up to now has avoided a wave of protectionism that could have come with the economic cycle, has not succeeded in detaching itself from the American political cycle.”

Los Angeles Times: Until women are healthy, societies will suffer
The L.A. Times blogs about a new report from the World Health Organization, which lays out the hurdles women face in getting the healthcare they need at various stages of life. In a statement about the report, the WHO director-general emphasized that “The obstacles that stand in the way of better health for women are not primarily technical or medical in nature. They are social and political, and the two go together. We will not see significant progress as long as women are regarded as second-class citizens in so many parts of the world.”

The Wall Street Journal: The Berlin Wall of Aid: When Will It Fall? (Op-Ed)
In light of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall today, co-author of “The Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty,” Glenn Hubbard, questions why top-down economic development in Africa – or the “Berlin Wall of Aid” as he calls it – has not fallen despite what the author believes is its “record of failure.” Hubbard highlights the success of the historic Marshall Plan and calls for a shift in the aid system, maintaining that increased aid from NGOs and microfinance has helped millions of poor people start and run micro-businesses across the world. Writes Hubbard, “the time has come for the Berlin Wall of aid to fall. Sub-Saharan Africa is as poor today as it was 50 years ago despite increases in foreign aid.”

New York Times: China Pledges $10 Billion to Africa
The Prime Minister of China, Wen Jiabao, pledged to grant African countries $10 billion in low-interest development loans over the next three years, to establish a $1 billion loan program for small and medium-size businesses, and to forgive the remaining debt on certain interest-free loans that China previously granted less-developed African nations. Mr. Wen also promised to form a partnership to address climate change in Africa, including the building of 100 clean-energy projects across the continent as well as sponsor an array of other programs in health, education, culture and agriculture.

Los Angeles Times: High hopes for a malaria vaccine
A massive malaria vaccine trial is underway in Africa, with 5,000 children already enrolled. If results are favorable, marketing approval could be sought as soon as 2012, making it the first commercial vaccine available for the disease. According to the L.A. Times, the first-generation vaccine is unlikely to reduce infections by more than 50%, but researchers believe that even that level of efficacy could make inroads against the disease and lay the foundation for the development of more-effective vaccines. The goal is to have a vaccine by 2025 that is 80% effective and that lasts for at least four years.

The Guardian: Gordon Brown is right: rich western banks should pay for the developing world to go green (Op-Ed)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown argued this weekend that the proceeds from a global tax on banking transactions could be the key to breaking the deadlock on Copenhagen climate talks in December. The Guardian provides support for Brown’s arguments, stating that without a willingness by the west to bankroll greener economic strategies in the developing world there will be no climate change deal. The paper further emphasized that the negotiations expected in Copenhagen next month “are starting to echo the global trade liberalization talks, which began in Doha eight years ago this week and are still going nowhere.”

New Vision (Uganda): Donor Aid in Africa Should Increasingly Go to Women (Op-Ed)
New Vision editorializes that with government bureaucracies fast losing credibility in aid management, donor organizations should engage channels to make their funding more effective, arguing that working directly with women is the most effective way to ensure success. The paper cites evidence from the World Bank, which shows that women borrowers generate additional income through their enterprise and are more likely than men to direct it to household expenses especially those that benefit children. The paper further maintains that “by empowering grassroots women through training, they are investing in tangible, enduring and beneficiary empowerment, self-actualization and future self-reliance – from the bottom of the pyramid.”

Financial Times: G20 yet to deliver on early promise
In light of the recent G20 finance ministers meeting held over the weekend in Scotland, the Financial Times weighs in on whether “the premier forum for our international economic co-operation” is delivering on past promises, particularly those laid out in the latest meeting in Pittsburgh. The paper highlights the little progress that G20 leaders have made in determining the flows of money from rich to poor countries that will be needed in a global climate deal to help the developing world reduce carbon emission. However, despite this, the paper reports that the G20 still believes that it has a chance of success in securing a more balanced global recovery where other initiatives have failed.