Press release
Within the framework of the High-Level Conference on World Food Security, which took place on 3 June 2008 at the Rome headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN-INSTRAW emphasizes the disproportionate impact that this crisis is having on women and girls, and calls for action to ensure their protection.

Following the call of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for urgent steps to address the global food crisis, UN-INSTRAW further urges governments, international financial institutions and civil society groups to mobilize resources and take concrete action in favour of women and children

Carmen Moreno, Director of UN-INSTRAW, underlines that according to data from the FAO, 7 out of 10 of the world's hungry are women and girls. Although women are the primary producers of food throughout the world, producing 90% of the staple crops that sustain the rural poor, gender inequality often means that they are much more affected by poverty and hunger than men.

45% of women in developing countries suffer from iron anemia, a common side-effect of malnutrition, compared to 25% of men. As a result, 300 women die every day during childbirth. Women, in particular, pregnant women and nursing mothers, need special intake of food in order to ensure their survival.

In the year 2000, the governments of the world jointly committed to halving world hunger by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). According to the World Bank’s Global Data Monitoring Information System, fewer than 40% of the 77 countries with adequate data to monitor trends are on track to reaching this target.

“Policies and programmes that take women’s needs into account, such as nutrition programmes targeted at pregnant women, programmes that aim to strengthen women’s role and productivity in smallholder agriculture, and initiatives that address the impact of unfair global trade policies are absolutely essential to mitigating the impact of the current food crisis,” stated Ms. Moreno.

The FAO estimates that the number of hungry people around the globe, currently at 850 million, will increase by a further 100 million due to rising food prices, declining outputs and growing scarcities worldwide.

Read more about the Rome Summit

Press contact:
Ms. Valeria Vilardo
Communications Associate
UN-INSTRAW
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Tel: 1 809-685-2111 ext. 227

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