What We’re Reading 4/17/09

Apr 17th, 2009 10:49 AM UTC
By Chandler Smith

Diplomatic Courier—What it Really Means to Stand with the Poor (op-ed)
The C.E.O. of the Millennium Challenge Corporation and a leader from the Council of the Americas write in advance of this week’s ‘Summit of the Americas’ that investing in long-term solutions for the 71 million people living in extreme poverty in the Western Hemisphere must be a priority during the global economic downturn. They write, “Development assistance—delivered with accountability—can offer an effective way to combat the ills of poverty, whether it is saving the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS or other diseases, teaching small businesses and farmers how to benefit from trade and new markets, helping consumers tap into clean energy sources like ethanol or biodiesel, or protecting communities from criminal gangs, trafficking, and violent crime.”

Reuters: G8 farm ministers to meet on food security, supply
Reuters reports on the meeting of farm ministers from major industrialized and developing nations this weekend in Italy. Food security and boosting global agricultural output to stamp out hunger will top the agenda. Putting hunger, food supply and poverty back on top of the international agenda would be a major achievement of the meeting, said Hafez Ghanem, assistant director-general at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Financial Times: The world must feed its hungry (editorial)
The Financial Times anticipates the meeting of G8 farm ministers in Italy next week and calls for food security issues to remain at the top of the agenda. To solve food shortages, the editors propose, food exporters and importers need well-functioning international markets in food, which encourage efficient global production patterns. In addition, governments must provide global public goods. Research is needed to boost productivity, especially for African crops, and must not be hampered by opposition to genetically modified food. Mechanisms must be found to hedge against price volatility that discourages production even when prices are high.

New York Times: Study Finds Pattern of Severe Droughts in Africa
For the past 3,000 years, potent droughts have seared a belt of sub-Saharan Africa that is now home to tens of millions of the world’s poorest people, climate researchers report in a new study. The scientists warned that more such mega-droughts are inevitable, although there is no way to predict when the next one could unfold. Kevin Watkins, director of the office of Human Development Reports of the United Nations described the study as “a “critical report.”

The Guardian: Neglected diseases
A recent report by the George Institute for International Health in Australia said that the global focus on HIV/Aids, malaria and TB is leading to a serious shortfall in funding for other “neglected” diseases responsible for killing millions of people across the world.

Reuters: Generics deal cuts cost of AIDS drugs further
The cost of AIDS medicines in poor countries is to come down further, following a new bulk purchase arrangement negotiated with a group of generic drug manufacturers. The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative and the international drug-purchasing consortium Unitaid said on Friday they had struck deals offering steeper discounts on a range of life-saving treatments.

-Chandler Smith

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