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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
Rural Outreach Program
ISSN: 1684-5358 EISSN: 1684-5374
Vol. 11, Num. 5, 2011
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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Vol. 11, No. 5, 2011
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Hilary Clinton Visit to IFPRI 11th August 2011
Hillary
Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State, International
Food Policy Research Institute, Washington,
DC
Code Number: nd11053
August
11, 2011
Thank you so
much, Director General, for not only those remarks but for the work that is
done every day here at this premier organization designed to come forward with
sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. And I want to thank the
International Food Policy Research Institute for hosting me today and for the
leadership you show in a key area of global development helping governments
design and implement successful policies for reducing hunger and undernutrition.
This is an issue
that is on your minds every day, but it is now on the minds of many people
because of the crisis that is raging in the Horn of Africa. It is, first, a
food crisis; a severe drought has put more than 12 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya,
Djibouti, and Somalia in danger of starvation. It is also a refugee crisis,
because at this point, hundreds of thousands of people have left their homes in
search of food and safety. Some are walking more than 100 miles with their
children in their arms to reach refugee camps, which are so overcrowded that
thousands wait outside the fences, and more arrive every minute, many close to
death.
What is
happening in the Horn of Africa is the most severe humanitarian emergency in
the world today, and the worst that East Africa has seen in several decades.
The United States and our partners in the region, including the World Food
Program, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, NGOs, and donor
governments, are racing to save as many lives as possible.
Fortunately, we
did, as the Director General just said, have a bit of a head start because of
the Famine Early Warning System Network known as FEWSNet. The United States
supports it along with others. It monitors drought and crop conditions and
alerts governments and aid groups when crises are coming. This network, along
with the analysis from the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization, enabled us
to begin prepositioning food in key locations throughout the region starting
last year. But a great deal more must be done, and it must be done fast. Famine
conditions in Somalia are likely to get worse before they level off.
And while we
hurry to deliver life-saving assistance, we must also maintain our focus on the
future by continuing to invest in long-term food security in countries that are
susceptible to drought and food shortages. It is this connection between food
emergencies and food security that I would like to speak to today. Because our
goal is not only to help the region come through this crisis, but working with
organizations like IFPRI to do all we can to prevent it from ever happening
again. Food security is the key.
Let me just
briefly summarize our emergency response to date.
The United
States is the largest single-country contributor of food and humanitarian
assistance to the Horn of Africa. On Monday, President Obama announced that in
light of the current crisis, we are making available an additional $105 million
in emergency funding. Today, Im announcing another 17 million on top of that with
12 million designed specifically for helping the people of Somalia. That brings
the total U.S. humanitarian assistance to the region to more than $580 million
this year. We are reaching more than 4.6 million people with this aid. It helps
to pay for food distribution; for therapeutic feeding for those who are
severely malnourished; for clean water, healthcare, sanitation, protection, and
other services for those in need. And let me say how grateful I am to the aid
workers who are delivering this assistance, swiftly and effectively, in
extremely difficult and often dangerous circumstances.
Over the course
of this crisis, U.S. officials have made multiple trips to the region,
including just this past weekend to Kenya, a delegation led by Dr. Jill Biden
and joined by former Senator Dr. Bill Frist; USAID Administrator Raj Shah; Eric
Schwartz, our Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and
Migration; and Gayle Smith from the White House. They saw the best and worst of
what is happening on the ground. They visited the Kenyan Agricultural Research
Institute, a top-notch facility long supported by the U.S. Government. And I
had the chance to visit it on my trip to Kenya two years ago. I was very
impressed by the work that I saw there by scientists who are cultivating crops
that can thrive in drought and are enriched with essential nutrients. These
breakthroughs have already saved lives and Im sure will save many more in the
future.
But the
delegation also visited Dadaab, the refugee complex in eastern Kenya. Even
before this emergency, it was the largest refugee camp in the world. Some
people have been living there now for 20 years. It was originally built for
90,000 people. Twenty years later, more than 420,000 live there, including
thousands of third generation residents.
So the current
refugee crisis is taking place against the backdrop of a prolonged refugee
crisis. The United Nations is working as fast as it can to build new
facilities, but well over a thousand people arrive every day. Most in fact,
the vast majority of those arriving are Somalis, because Somalia is the
epicenter of this emergency. Southern and central Somalia are the only places
in the region where famine has been officially declared, because unlike
Ethiopia and Kenya, Somalia has no effective national governance.
And the
terrorist group al-Shabaab has prevented humanitarian assistance from coming
in. It has killed and threatened aid workers. There are also credible reports
that al-Shabaab is preventing desperate Somalis from leaving the areas under
its control. Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of Somalis, largely women and
children, are managing to flee to the north or leave the country altogether.
They are pouring over the borders into Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti. That, in
turn, severely strains the capacity of those local communities and countries.
The United
States is now providing $92 million in emergency humanitarian assistance inside
Somalia. To facilitate aid within Somalias central and southern region, we have
recently issued new guidance about the use of U.S. funds to help aid groups
working with the United States Government try to save more lives. Still, a
great deal depends on whether al-Shabaab is willing to let international
assistance be delivered. And so I once again urge al-Shabaab to heed the calls
not only of the international community, including the Arab League, but of the
cries of their own people, and allow the secure delivery of relief to all those
who are afflicted.
The United
States will continue to work with Somalis in the international community to
bring the hope of peace and stability to Somalia, and we join all Somalis in
hoping that there will be a future with a functioning government that can
protect the Somali people against famine and help to build a sustainable
agricultural sector.
These are the
steps we are taking to address the immediate crisis. But as we proceed, we must
not forget we have seen crises like this before. First comes a severe drought,
then crops fail, livestock perish, food prices soar, thousands of people die
from starvation, most of them children, and thousands more pick up and move.
Every few decades, the cycle repeats. And it would be easy to throw up our
hands and blame it all on forces beyond our control, but this cycle is not
inevitable. Though food shortages may be triggered by drought, they are not
caused by drought, but rather by weak or nonexistent agricultural systems that
fail to produce enough food or market opportunities in good times and break
down completely in the bad times.
In other words,
a hunger crisis is not solely an act of God. It is a complex problem of
infrastructure, governance, markets, education. These are things we can shape
and strengthen. So that means this is a problem that we can solve if we have
the will and we put to work the expertise that organizations like IFPRI
possess. We do have the know-how. We have the tools. We have the resources. And
increasingly, we have the will to make chronic food shortages and
undernutrition a memory for the millions worldwide who are now vulnerable.
And while some
might say that this is a conversation for another time, that we should worry
about preventing food crises only after this one has passed, I respectfully
disagree. Right now, when the effects of food security are the most extreme, we
must rededicate ourselves to breaking this cycle of food shortages, suffering,
and dislocation that we see playing out once again in the Horn of Africa. We must
support countries working to achieve food security. We owe it to the people
whose lives we are trying to save, and frankly, we owe it to the donors and the
taxpayers who make our work possible. Investing now decreases the chances that
Americans or others will be called upon in the future to face these same
challenges in 10 or 20 years from now. And I will argue that we will be
investing in our own security by supporting political stability and economic
growth worldwide.
For the past two
and a half years, I have traveled the world from Kenya to India to Italy,
talking to everyone from farmers and agricultural scientists to aid workers and
heads of state, about Feed the Future, the U.S. food security initiative and a
centerpiece of the Obama Administrations foreign policy. The United States has
pledged $3.5 billion to support rigorously developed plans to fortify the
entire agricultural chain of our partner countries, from the fields and grazing
areas where crops are grown and livestock raised, to the markets where farmers
sell their wares, to the tables and hearths where people receive the nutrition
they need to stay healthy.
To name just a
few of the things that we are doing through our Feed the Future Initiative: We
are helping farmers gain access to fertilizers and improved seeds. We are
setting up extension services to teach methods of conservation agriculture. We
are supporting the creation of cooperatives so farmers can gain more purchasing
power and a greater political voice. We are spreading the tools for reducing
post-harvest losses so after months of hard work and good harvests, farmers
dont lose 40, 50, 60 percent of their crops and the nutrition and the income
they offer because of inadequate or poor storage.
Weve also
helped create a global partnership called 1,000 Days to improve nutrition
during the critical period from the start of pregnancy through a childs second
birthday. Nutritional deficits during those 1,000 days lead to permanent
stunting, reduced cognitive function, and a greater susceptibility to disease
that cannot be reversed by improved nutrition later in life.
Two of our
partner countries in Feed the Future are Ethiopia and Kenya. And even amid this
crisis, they prove that progress is possible. The last time a drought of this magnitude
struck Ethiopia, in 2002 and 2003, more than 13 million people faced
starvation. Today, fewer than 5 million do.
Now, that is
still an unacceptably large number, but it is also an astonishing improvement
in a relatively short period of time. And it is evidence that investments in
food security can pay off powerfully. In 2005, the Ethiopian Government
established the Productive Safety Net Program with support from international
donors, including the United States. It helps small-holder farmers diversify
their crops, create local markets, better manage their water resources, and
increase the nutritional content of their own diets and those of their
children. More than 7.6 million farmers and herders have now been helped by
this program, people who are not among those in need of emergency aid today.
In Kenya as
well, people who were greatly affected by the last severe drought are now safe,
even thriving. Paul Weisenfeld from USAID, who is here today, shared a story
with me about a woman farmer he met last month from the northernmost arid part
of Kenya. It has been the hardest hit by the current drought. She lives on a
communal farm made up of former livestock herders whose animals all died in the
previous droughts. Today, thanks to help from international donors, she and the
other farmers raise various vegetables and fruits, including mangoes, and her
crop is so abundant that she is not only selling them locally, but exporting
them to the Middle East.
In both Ethiopia
and Kenya, the United States is helping to carry out comprehensive strategies
that were designed by the countries themselves to suit their distinct needs and
strengths. In Ethiopia, a top priority is strengthening the value chain to help
small-holder farmers sell their products at local and regional markets. In
Kenya, supporting herders is a leading concern, so USAID is working to connect
them to markets, improve animal health services, help local institutions lobby
for better livestock trade policies.
Both governments
have developed country investment plans; both have committed to invest at least
10 percent of their national budget on agriculture. Kenya is nearly there and
Ethiopia has exceeded that goal. And in both countries we are paying special
attention to gender, to ensure that the women who do a significant amount of
the planting, harvesting, selling and cooking are effectively supported. And
were also paying attention to the environmental impact of our programs to
protect the water and the land for future generations and to help farmers adapt
to the effects of climate change.
Our goals are
ambitious. In the next five years, the United States aims to help more than
half a million people in Ethiopia permanently escape poverty and hunger, and
more than 430,000 children benefit from improved nutrition. In Kenya, we aim to
raise incomes and improve nutrition for 800,000 people. But there are still
millions of people in these countries and certainly throughout the world who
need emergency help, and they need it now. And yes, we are trying as hard as we
can to reach them. But it is also important to recognize that there must be
concerted efforts by governments and people to help themselves, and there is no
question that Ethiopia and Kenya are moving in the right direction. Now we must
help them continue that progress, and that is a job for all of us.
The primary
responsibility naturally does lie with governments and with the people of
countries like Ethiopia and Kenya. I have reached out to the leaders of these
countries, and they know the kinds of changes that they still need to make.
They need to move toward free trade in grain imports and exports. They need to
improve credit and land-use policies to support farmers and herders. They need
to ensure that public grain reserves are available when shortages loom. And
they need to welcome new technologies to bolster drought tolerance, disease
resistance, and crop yields. These can be challenging policies to get right,
but they are absolutely essential for ensuring wise stewardship of the land and
sustainable economic opportunities for the people. Meanwhile, the countries
that pledged their support for food security at the G-8 Summit in LAquila in
2009 must make good on their commitments.
I certainly
understand the difficult budget times we are living through. But we have to
rededicate ourselves to doing development differently, as we said we would. New
donor countries have gotten involved to end the current food emergency. I urge
them also to join with us in helping to create lasting food security. A year
ago, the United States led the G-20 countries in establishing an innovative,
fund-based program at the World Bank called the Global Agriculture and Food
Security Program. By pooling our resources and our efforts behind
country-developed and country-owned plans, we can reach more farmers and more
villages and multiply our impact. This fund shares many of the characteristics
of our own Feed the Future Initiative, including a strong voice for civil
society and rigorous systems for monitoring and evaluating results to make sure
contributions are making a real difference in peoples lives. With support from
seven donors Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, the
United States, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation the fund has already
awarded nearly half a billion dollars to 12 countries, including a $51.5
million grant to Ethiopia.
We are also
looking to the private sector to contribute, especially in coming up with
innovative ideas for reducing hunger and food insecurity. To offer two
examples, we are working with a tech company on the ground in Africa called
Souktel to text life-saving information to people across the region, so they
know where relief can be found nearby. And we are supporting a partnership
among General Mills, Cargill, and the Dutch company DSM, who are assisting food
processors in Kenya and other countries improve their ability to produce
high-quality, nutritious, safe food. This will benefit local consumers and
prepare local food producers to compete in regional markets.
And Ive said
before in many settings, particularly at AGOA conferences, Africa must drop its
trade barriers so that the African people can trade with each other.
Sub-Saharan Africa has more trade barriers and they are more limited in intercountry
regional trade than any part of the world.
Finally, we need
the contributions of caring individuals here in the United States and around
the world. We have seen this in previous crises, from the Indian Ocean tsunami
in 2004 to the earthquake in Haiti; individual donations can have a tremendous
impact. Even just a few dollars can save lives. And the heroic organizations
operating in the Horn of Africa right now need all the support we can offer.
The USAID homepage provides access to information about several groups, so its
an easy way for people to help. Just visit usaid.gov. Another way to help is
through mobile giving. One program that supports life-sustaining efforts in the
Horn of Africa is the United Nations World Food Program. You can give $10
to the World Food Program USA by texting A-I-D to the number 27722.
Humanitarian
assistance is in the American DNA. It is one of our core values, and the
American people have shown time and again that we will give to help people in
dire circumstances. We are inspired to see the outpouring that has already
begun, and we hope it will continue and grow.
Additionally,
the State Department is working with the American Refugee Committee and the
design firm IDEO on the Neighbors campaign to engage the Somali diaspora, not
only the United States but around the world, to help raise awareness and funds
for the relief efforts. And we are working with the White House to mobilize
churches, mosques, and synagogues to support this effort.
We must remember
that time is not on our side. Every minute, more people, mostly women and
mostly children, are dying. Theyre becoming sick. They are fleeing their
homes. We must respond. We need to rise to the level of this emergency by
acting smarter and faster than we have before to achieve both short-term relief
and long-term progress.
Think of what it
would mean if we do succeed. Millions of people would be saved from this
current calamity. Millions more would no longer live tenuous existences, always
prepared to pick up and move to find food if drought or conflict or other crises
occur. Parents would no longer have to endure the agony of losing their
children when the food runs out. And food aid from countries like the United
States would be needed much less frequently because we are now supporting
agricultural self-sufficiency.
This would be a
transformational shift for the people of our partner countries. It would be a
new era of security, stability, health, and economic opportunity, peace, and
stability. And it would signal a new chapter in the worlds relationships with
the people of these countries. As they become themselves able to care for their
families, they will become real models and examples of prosperity and stability
and they will become partners to do even more to help people live up to their
own God-given potential.
If we achieve
that future, we will have done something truly remarkable. Just as the Green
Revolution made such a difference, what we are trying to do now is to get back
to what worked then, focus on the basics, focus on the work that is done by
IFPRI. I had a change to meet the directors, and theyre working on how you
enhance nutritional substance with micronutrients. Theyre working on how you
provide better seeds for crops, how you help herders whose natural desire is to
hold on to their livestock because it represents to the rest of the world their
significance.
All of this is
in the tradition of the Green Revolution, which made such a difference. But
then the world moved away, thinking that our work was done. And in fact, it was
not. And we got very good at delivering emergency assistance when we put our
minds to it, but we lost our way. And we have to do both, both the crisis and
the future investments, so that we can see progress in very tangible ways. And
history will record that as being a significant accomplishment for all,
including those of you in this room, who played your part.
So we have a lot
of work ahead of us, but I came today to make sure that in my own country and
beyond, people know we have a crisis and we must respond. We must try to save
those lives that are being lost in those brutal marches to try to get to
safety. We must support the refugee camps and do everything we can to provide
the immediate help that is needed. But lets not just do that, as important as
that is. Lets use this opportunity to make very clear what more we need to do
together to try to avoid this happening again. And I could think of no better
place to come to make that plea and to issue that challenge than to the
International Food Policy Research Institute. Thank you all very much.
(Applause.)
PRN: 2011/1311
Copyright 2011 - African Journal of Food Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
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