What We’re Reading 11/20/09

Nov 20th, 2009 12:30 PM UTC
By Robyn Mitchell

The Economist: How to Feed the World
The Economist reports that despite a global recession and food prices on the rise once again, developing countries still have a brief window of opportunity in which to set long-term food security policy goals without being distracted by panic measures. According to the article, world leaders must do two things: invest in the productive capacity of agriculture and improve the operation of food markets. Over the past year investment has risen faster than anyone expected, but distrust of markets and a reaction against farm trade are growing. Unless governments restrain those impulses, writes the Economist, they will undermine the gains from rising investment.

The Globe and Mail: The urban poor are going hungry
With a renewed focus on food security after the UN food summit this week, the Globe reports that a major flaw hindering progress on this front is the idea that food insecurity is exclusively a rural problem and that the solution is to get small farmers to grow more food. Rural populations in almost all developing countries are decreasing, while the opposite is true of urban populations, indicating that the urban poor’s vulnerability to food insecurity is often as great or even greater than the rural poor.

The Los Angeles Times: Homophobia and AIDS funding can’t coexist (Op-Ed)
The L.A. Times reports that in spite of all that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has accomplished in the fight against AIDS, a persistent problem remains: the promotion of homophobia by African governments receiving American aid money. In no nation is this problem more acute than in Uganda, one of 15 PEPFAR “focus” countries that collectively account for half of the world’s HIV infections. Homosexuality is considered a taboo in most of Africa, and “the consequences are devastating not only for the people directly affected by these adverse policies but for the fight against AIDS in general.”

Associated Press: 20 years after UN pact, many children still suffer
The Associated Press reports that on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child, there are still hundreds of millions of children who suffer from violence, hunger and disease. Associated Press correspondents around the globe interviewed children who illustrate the remaining challenges, along with some victories.

Vanguard (Nigeria): HIV/AIDS : US increases funding in Africa
The United State’s President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has increased funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa from $2.3 billion in 2004 to $6.6 billion in 2009. Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a press conference ahead of World Aids Day on December 1, USAID representative Alonzo Wind also promised continuous support in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and across the continent.

AllAfrica.com: Africa: Consequences of Less Funding for Aids – Living With Aids # 413
AllAfrica.com reports that due to the international recession, donors are either decreasing or opting not to increase their funding of AIDS treatment, which will have devastating effects on poorer countries that are largely dependent on foreign aid. In light of recent reports that both the Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR have reduced funding for approved grants, the article explores the potential effects of limited funding for AIDS treatment in South Africa specifically.

AllAfrica.com: Africa: Women’s Rights – Looking Back Or Moving Forward? (Op-Ed)
Oxfam’s Gender Justice and Governance lead, Mary Wandia, explores the emergence of African women’s issues in 2009, arguing that despite more attention being paid globally on this front, it is clear that “women’s lives have not yet seen the promise of the continental framework.” According to Wandia, violations of women’s human rights have reached epidemic proportions and questions whether African leaders are ready to rise up to address this critical challenge. She closes the article by arguing for the adoption of a multidimensional approach to the implementation and monitoring of regional and international commitments.

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