May 16, 2012

WASHINGTON –Just ahead of a key to G-20 preparatory meeting in Mexico City, ActionAid today released a report, which shows how US biofuels policy is increasing food insecurity in Mexico.

See the full report Biofueling Hunger: How U.S. Corn Ethanol Policy Drives up Food Prices here.

The report finds that rising corn ethanol production in the United States, fueled by a deadly cocktail of subsidies, mandates, and rising oil prices, has increased Mexico’s food import bill. As a result, prices for staple foods like corn tortillas are increasing, accelerating hunger. With Mexico chairing the G-20 summit in June and with food security on its agenda, ActionAid is urging the Mexican government to put the linkage between biofuels and hunger on the G-20 agenda.

“A meal in Mexico is not complete without tortillas on the table. The Mexican government must stand up for their citizens who are facing higher corn prices as a result of increased US biofuels production,” says Marie Brill, co-author of the report and Senior Policy Analyst for ActionAid USA. “The G-20 has already commissioned analysis calling for the elimination of biofuel mandates to address rising food prices – our research shows why the time is now for leaders to take action.”

“This report reveals that ethanol is actually the hidden ingredient in rising corn tortilla prices,” says Tim Wise, co-author of the report, and Director of the Research and Policy Program for the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. “Mexico offers a clear example of how policies that divert food to fuel in richer nations are harming food-importing countries.”

Key findings include:

• The rising price of US corn (fueled by diversion of corn corps for ethanol) combined with the increase in Mexico’s corn imports, has directly impacted Mexican consumers. Between 2005 and 2011, tortilla prices increased by 69 percent, and the cost of the basic food basket that a Mexican family more than doubled. In 2011, 56% of Mexicans suffered some period of food insecurity, and five million children suffered from hunger.

• Since 2005, US ethanol expansion cost Mexico between $1.5-$3.2 billion in higher corn prices- or on average between $250-$500 million per year. This represents 10-20 times the amount that Mexico spends annually on its support program for small maize and wheat farmers.

• That same $250 million could be redirected to help farmers in Mexico to produce an additional to 700,000 metric tons of corn. These yields would cut the country's corn trade deficit by 10% in just one year.

• Corn ethanol trends are expected to push corn prices 12% higher in 2017, and this will result in an increase in meat and dairy rates.

ActionAid recommends:

• The Mexican government should use its influence as chair of the the G-20 to ensure that the linkage between increasing biofuels production and hunger is on the table at the G-20 summit in Los Cabos. The Agriculture Vice Ministers meeting scheduled for the end of this week in Mexico City is a key venue to initiate discussion of this issue.

• All G-20 leaders should commit to eliminate targets, mandates and financial incentives that encourage the expansion of unsustainable industrial biofuels production. This recommendation is consistent with the conclusions of the report of ten international organizations commissioned by the G-20 in 2011.

• The US government should remove volume targets for corn ethanol and reverse the decision to blend greater amounts of ethanol with gas.

G20 Foreign Ministers are set to meet May 18-20 in Mexico City. See the full set of ActionAid recommendations here.

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ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in 50 countries, taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice together. Together with more than 2,000 civil society partner organizations worldwide, ActionAid works with and supports the poorest and most vulnerable people to fight for and gain their rights to food, shelter, work, basic healthcare and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. View the website at http://www.actionaidusa.org

ENDS

Contact: Patricia Brooks, 202-351-1757

Note to Editors: Mexico’s tortilla riots were the first to make international headlines as a global food crisis unfolded in 2007. Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Mexico City when the price of tortillas rose by 25 percent. The global crisis ultimately pushed 100 million people into extreme poverty and elevated global food security onto the agenda of world leaders.

There are many causes of increased global food prices and volatility in agricultural commodity markets. Three factors that play a large role include climate change, commodity speculation, and global demand for biofuels.

About the Report:

This report draws on the recent Tufts University working paper, “The Cost to Mexico of U.S. Corn Ethanol Expansion,” by Timothy A. Wise, Director of the Research and Policy Program for the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. The research calculates the cost of ethanol expansion on Mexico’s food import bill. It is one of the first studies to estimate the impact of U.S. biofuels policies and expansion on developing countries.

ENDS Contact: Patricia Brooks, 202-351-1757

Note to Editors:

Three years ago, President Obama led the rest of the G-8 to establish the $22 billion L’Aquila pledge to address global hunger by improving the productivity of smallholder farmers. The L’Aquila pledge consisted of five Rome Principles calling on developing countries to come up with a plan of action to reduce hunger in their own nation. Donors in countries, like the United States, partner to match their resources to ensure that the plans are fully funded. This pledge is intended to expire in May.

This report was compiled by analyzing data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Development Assistance Committee (DAC) database of L’Aquila donors’ investments in aid to agriculture in 2009-2010 as compared to the period from 2006-2008.

PRESS PREVIEW OF CAMP DAVID G8 SUMMIT

WHAT: With two weeks until President Barack Obama hosts G8 leaders at Camp David, leading NGOs offer their perspectives on the Summit’s key issues, especially food security and nutrition. During this conference call, development experts will put this year’s Summit in the context of previous commitments and detail the possible development agenda.

WHEN: Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 10:00am EST

WHERE: Dial 1(800) 895-1549 or 1(785) 424-1057 Conference ID “G8Summit”

WHO: ActionAid Policy & Campaigns Director Neil Watkins (moderator)
           Oxfam America Policy & Research Director Gawain Kripke
           ONE U.S. Executive Director Tom Hart
           Save the Children Vice President for Policy and Humanitarian Response Michael Klosson

ActionAid response to the Charles Taylor Liberian war crimes verdict: 

On April 26th the verdict in the war crimes tribunal of former Liberian President Charles Taylor will be delivered. Below is ActionAid’s response to the verdict.

Korto Williams, Country Director, Action Aid Liberia:

“ActionAid Liberia hopes this verdict provides an opportunity for Sierra Leone to lay many ghosts to rest. The verdict represents the brutal reality of what happened in Sierra Leone and reflects the war atrocities that were committed in Liberia. Fifteen years on from the civil war, many people continue to yearn for justice and recognition of their suffering. This verdict is also an opportunity for the International Criminal Court to address all the crimes carried out against civilians and to hold those who carried out the atrocities to account in a court of law.

The legacy of the civil war and the violence unleashed continues to devastate and destroy lives. An estimated 250,000 people died during the civil war, thousands were injured and forced to flee their homes. Rape and murder were used as weapons of war. Thousands of women are living with the physical and mental scars of rape and sexual violence. Despite Liberia electing Africa’s first female President in 2005, women continue to face the brunt of discrimination in Liberia.”

ActionAid in Liberia

ActionAid Liberia works with women in rural and urban communities and in partnership with a number of organizations. Women and youth survivors from the civil war are at the heart of Action Aid Liberia’s work to address the legacy of the conflict. ActionAid Liberia believes that in order to build and promote democracy, stability and community development, individual’s experiences of the violence carried out against them and their communities has to be acknowledged and addressed. This is the only way that lives can be rebuilt and people’s full potential can be reached.

Ends

For further information or to arrange an interview with Korto Williams, ActionAid’s Country Representative in Liberia contact: Patricia Brooks at (202) 351-1757 or patricia.brooks@actionaid.org.

Three years ago at the G-8 summit, President Obama stood up for nearly 1 billion people living in hunger by pledging to invest in small farmers to help feed the world.

That pledge, known as the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative, comes to an end this year. With the G-8 summit being hosted by the U.S. this May, President Obama has the perfect opportunity to continue his commitment to people living in hunger with a bold new pledge to fight global hunger.

President Obama's relocation of the G-8 from Chicago to Camp David on May 19-20 means there will be less public access to this summit. But ActionAid and other hunger advocates are still watching. At the G-8 summit, President Obama has a choice. He can use the low-key meeting spot to hide from important issues like hunger in hopes that it will go under the radar. Or he can use this opportunity with the G-8 meeting in the United States to burnish his legacy as a hunger hero.

Sign the petition to ask President Obama to be a Hunger Hero.

On Friday, ActionAid USA launched its G-8 campaign by organizing an Easter-themed event outside the White House calling on President Obama to be a hunger hero at the G-8 summit. Check out photos here.

Now is not the time to turn back on the pledge that Obama and other G-8 leaders made to end hunger. What happens at this G-8 summit will play a major role in whether or not the world is able to meet the first Millennium Development Goal to halve hunger by 2015.

Ask President Obama to find the political will to fight global hunger by raising at least 50 million people out of poverty. Sign the petition today!

Ester has increased her yields and income as a beneficiary of Global Agriculture and Food Security Program 
 

I just returned from an inspiring and exhilarating week travelling around the beautiful hillsides of Rwanda. The first thing that struck me was the beauty of the country. Rwanda earns its name as the “Land of a Thousand Hills” with beautiful vistas and picturesque panoramas.

The second thing that struck me, however, was how difficult it must be to farm on those hills. Some farms were so steep that I couldn’t imagine how trying it would be to walk up and down the fields to plant and harvest every year. That isn’t the only drawback to this hilly farmland. When it rains the water runs down the side of the mountain eroding the soil and depleting it of nutrients. This greatly decreases the productivity of Rwandan farms.

I was fortunate, however, to visit a project that is turning this hilly landscape into productive farmland for thousands of small-scale farmers across the country. This project known as the Land Husbandry, Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation Project (LWH) and is being funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), an innovative multi-donor trust fund.

Ester is one of the people benefiting from this project. Several years ago her farm was selected to receive terraces. Ester and her husband were paid, along with other farmers to dig the terraces. It’s an incredibly labor intensive processes and forces the farmers to miss out on one harvest. With payment for their work, however, they are still able to maintain an income despite the loss of one season’s harvest.

Now that they have terraces their land is much more productive. Last year Ester and her husband harvested 5 metric tons of Irish potatoes. They made roughly ten times more than they would normally make it a year. This has allowed them to build a much larger house for their growing family and to be able to send their children to school.

Ester’s new income and increased productivity is not just helping her but its helping her village as well. When I met Ester in her field there were seven or eight other women all working on her plot. I asked her who they were and she told me that they were family and neighbors that she had hired to help her plant fruits. By hiring other local women Ester is able to “spread the wealth” and increase the incomes of those around her.

GAFSP is the result of the $22 billion L’Aquila pledge that was made at the G8, led by President Obama, in 2009. The L’Aquila pledge has helped millions of small-scale farmers like Ester pull themselves out of poverty and help decrease global hunger. We are just starting to see successes like these all over Africa and the global South.

But we have reached a pivotal moment. The L’Aquila pledge ends this year and without a renewed commitment at the G8, May 19-20 at Camp David in the U.S., we may see the end of these kinds of investments.

ActionAid is calling on President Obama to continue to stand up for the world’s hungry and be a hunger hero this year at the G8. He should make a renewed pledge to combat global hunger that 1. Will enable at least 50 million people to rise out of poverty over the next 3 years, 2. That prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable and builds on the L’Aquila pledge and 3. That recognizes that bold commitments to end hunger will require both political and financial resources and G8 leaders need to pledge enough funding to ensure that anti-poverty and anti-hunger goals are met.

With a new pledge we can ensure that other women farmers, like Ester, are able to pull their families, their communities and their countries out of hunger.

This bill passed the House with bipartisan support on May 10, 2011 and is currently pending review in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. With your support we hope that the Senate version of the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act can be rapidly reviewed in Committee and then passed with bi-partisan support.

This bill is an important way to guarantee greater oversight and accountability in the U.S. government’s Haiti aid efforts, at no additional cost to the American taxpayer.

Instructions:

Making a call is really easy and it only takes a few minutes! When the office receptionist answers the phone, follow the basic call script below. The receptionists' job is to make sure messages from constituents are relayed to their boss, so make sure you give them your name and address so they can officially log your call into their database.

Call the Capitol switchboard (855) 393-4546 and ask for your member of Congress. If you aren't sure who your Senators are, go to: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Call-In Tips

Sample Call Script

Please feel free to add any powerful facts or stories you want to share.

Hi, my name is ______, and I'm a constituent. I'm calling to ask [Senator's name] to co-sponsor and support passage of the Assessing Program in Haiti Act, S. 1576. I'm a volunteer with ActionAid.

We, as a country, have already committed over $2.8 billion dollars in relief and rebuilding aid to Haiti. Now, we need to honor our promises and make sure that this money is being spent in the most effective way possible, so it reaches those in greatest need. The Assessing Progress Act will help our government to do better monitoring of this aid, consult with both the Haitian Government and Haitian Civil Society, and report back to congress on our progress.

Please take my name and address so I can hear back from [Senator's name] on whether he/she decides to co-sponsor and then vote for the bill. Thank you.

What Else Can I Do?

I just told @NAMEOFSENATOR to co-sponsor the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, & u can too. (Click HERE for more details) #assessingprogresshaiti

Tell @SENATOR to co-sponsor the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act. #assessingprogresshaiti (Click HERE for more details)

Tell @NAMEOFSENATOR that Haitians deserve better aid. #assessingprogresshaiti (Click HERE for more details)

@NAMEOFSENATOR, we need your help to Assess Progress in Haiti. #assessingprogresshaiti (Click HERE for more details)

Tell @NAMEOFSENATOR that Americans want to know how Haiti aid dollars are being used. #assessingprogresshaiti (Click HERE for more details)

Washington DC—Anti-poverty advocates gathered in Lafayette Park in Washington DC telling President Obama to locate the political will and resources to end hunger for 50 million people at the G-8 summit. Food security is scheduled to be at the top of the agenda for the G-8, and a new pledge will move us closer to reaching the Millennium Development Goal to halve hunger by 2015. View photos here, larger resolutions are available for publication.

ActionAid USA is calling on President Obama to emerge a hunger hero at the G-8 Summit by introducing a pledge that:

• Offers a measurable target to invest in country plans that will enable 50 million people to rise out of poverty over the next three years;

• Establishes a framework that builds on previous success from the L’Aquila pledge and formalizes the Rome Principles as the fundamental basis for food security investments;

• Recognizes that bold commitments to end hunger require both political and financial resources.

“This year, Americans are expected to spend over $2 billion on Easter candy, according to CNN. We estimate that if the US contributed less than half that amount to a G-8 food security initiative, we could empower 50 million smallholder farmers to boost themselves out of poverty through sustainable agriculture,” says Katie Campbell, Senior Policy Analyst at ActionAid USA.”President Obama must do everything possible to find the political will and financial resources to combat hunger when international leaders meet at Camp David in May.”

ActionAid will continue to monitor President Obama’s actions on global hunger from now until the end of the G-8 and will provide progress reports.

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Note to Editors:

Three years ago, President Obama led the rest of the G-8 to establish the $22 billion L’Aquila pledge to address global hunger by improving the productivity of smallholder farmers. The L’Aquila pledge consisted of five Rome Principles calling on developing countries to come up with a plan of action to reduce hunger in their own nation. Donors in countries, like the United States, partner to match their resources to ensure that the plans are fully funded. This pledge is intended to expire in May.

For more information about the G-8, photos of the event, stories of success from of the L’Aquila pledge or to schedule an interview, contact Patricia Brooks, patricia.brooks@actionaid.org, (202) 351-1757.

Hunger advocates call in President Obama to pledge a commitment to global hunger at the G8 summit.

Katie Campbell, Senior Policy Analyst at ActionAid USA, describes how L’Aquila Pledge was successful in reducing hunger in Rwanda, based on a recent trip to meet with farmer beneficiaries.

Days before the Easter Egg Roll, hunger advocates pose with Easter Bunny outside the White House to urge President Obama to get excited about finding the resources and political will to end hunger.

President Obama poses as Hunger Hero in front on the White House.

REMINDER: UPDATED PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Washington DC—Days before the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, anti-poverty advocates will stage a photo opportunity in Lafayette Park, complete with compelling visuals, including an Easter Bunny and life size mock ups of President Obama dressed as a superhero and Easter bunny to call attention to the upcoming G-8 summit. Anti-poverty advocates will urge President Obama to find political will and the resources to end hunger for 50 million people at the G-8 summit which will take place May 19-20 at Camp David.

When: Friday, April 6th, 2012 at 10:00 am

Where: Lafayette Park, near the Marquis de Lafayette statue on Pennsylvania Ave and Madison Place.

What: Life size cutouts of President Obama and posing as a superhero and Easter bunny will also be displayed to send a clear message: “President Obama: Don’t Hide from Hunger at the G-8 summit. Be A Hunger Hero!”

ActionAid spokesperson Katie Campbell will define what it means for President Obama to be a “hunger hero” at the G-8 summit. Having recently returned from Rwanda, she will also provide a first-hand account from the field of how current initiatives the previous L’Aquila pledge are helping farmers boost themselves out of poverty and offer recommendations for how President Obama can build on his current success. Press can RSVP to Patricia Brooks at patricia.brooks@actionaid.org or (202) 351-1757.

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Click here to RSVP as space is limited.

More details on the event will be provided upon RSVP. ActionAid’s work in Haiti is centered on full partnership with grassroots organizations to demand aid accountability, reduce gender-based violence, reclaim rights to land and housing, and incorporate more grassroots groups into the recovery process. Some of our many accomplishments include:

ActionAid is now pioneering an initiative to strengthen these previous efforts by bringing in the voice of the Haitian Diaspora and friends of Haiti to work closely with Je Nan Je. Together, and especially as members of the Diaspora family, we can do more to lift up the voices of the disenfranchised as they themselves speak truth to power.

We hope to see you at one of the Haiti receptions, on April 13 in Washington DC; Miami on April 25; and in Boston on June 12*.

In addition to attending our gatherings, there are other ways to get involved. You can:

* Dates of the Boston and Miami events are approximate and subject to change.

Click here to RSVP

Hosted by ActionAid International’s Chief Executive and leading womens’ rights advocate Joanna Kerr, this event will bring together author and journalist Roger Thurow and global development advocate Ritu Sharma for a conversation about the main challenges facing women smallholder farmers in Africa, who produce most of the food Africans consume.

Women smallholder farmers are the best hope for an end to hunger in Africa – but they need more support. Meanwhile, smallholder farmers across the globe are facing a growing threat of land grabs, particularly those connected to biofuels production. The event will provide a fresh perspective on what’s needed in the fight against global hunger just one month before President Obama hosts G8 leaders meet at Camp David with global hunger on their agenda.

Speakers: 
• Joanna Kerr, CEO, ActionAid International (moderator)
• Roger Thurow, former Wall St Journal reporter, author of Enough, and of forthcoming book The Last Hunger Season
• Ritu Sharma, President, Women Thrive Worldwide

Event Details:
Monday, April 16, 2012, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Busboys and Poets Restaurant, Cullen Room,
5th and K Street NW 
Event Admission: Free – donations welcome.
Dinner/drinks will be available for purchase from the restaurant menu.


Click Here to RSVP  

Accept the challenge and register now!

ActionAid USA is excited to announce a new initiative for youth and students — Activista USA!

Activista is ActionAid's global network of youth and students — with chapters in more than 20 countries where ActionAid works. And we're launching Activista USA as an exciting new way for young people to get involved ActionAid campaigns to end hunger and poverty.

Your first chance to get involved is coming up on April 14-15 on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington. ActionAid USA, Activista USA and AIDemocracy (a US national youth and student group) are organizing an exciting youth conference called 2012: Challenge Accepted.

Register today and find out more about this exciting opportunity to connect with other justice advocates and hear inspiring speakers.

The 2012: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED conference will be the largest youth conference on US foreign policy this election year. We're exploring key challenges impacting our generation, including the economy, security, climate change, justice and hunger.

You'll hear from great speakers including Roger Thurow, author of the bestselling book Enough about global hunger, and Anuradha Mittal, the Director of the Oakland Institute, which is challenging land grabs in Africa across the globe. You'll also get a chance to meet with representatives of the major Presidential campaigns and tell them what your priorities are on the global issues!

Come to deepen your knowledge. Stay to build your skills. Leave with a new network of friends and allies.

You can get involved and help spread the word too. We need Campus Ambassadors; you can host a breakout session to share your work or campaign with your peers; and you can facilitate a workshop on advocacy, communications or organizing skills.

Our generation is stepping up and demanding a better world. You in?

700,000 people - 45% of the population - are already going hungry in The Gambia, with the situation expected to worsen.

Your donation could help us deliver emergency supplies of food and water, and support families to prepare and adapt so they aren't reliant on food aid.

* Your personal information will never be sold or shared by ActionAid.