Humanitarian Assistance: Hunger

Scholars usually relate food insecurity with poverty. As a solution for this complex issue, they frequently invoke the right of every human being for food and development and urge the international community to coordinate this complicated relationship worldwide. The assumption that “global governance” exists and has the means to end world hunger through policies addressing poverty issues deserves a careful analysis. International governmental organizations have long affirmed that “respect for human rights will help lift people out of poverty” (Oxfam, 2012). This belief is corroborated by the fact that many scholars state that “international governmental agencies are creations of nation states and act in their behalf” (Kent, 1994). Also, scholars not rarely quote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to argue that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family” (Kent, 2005). Nevertheless, the notion of global governance is disputable. International governmental organizations are indeed the result of nation-states agreements. However, it does not seem accurate to attribute to their executive boards and agencies the same legal status that federal governments enjoy since “there are not international agencies capable of calling national governments to account if their preparations are not adequate” (Kent, 2011). Poverty and food security are not directly related. Poverty is addressed by economic development and political reforms -- “questions that are not easily answered” (Sen, 1981). Food security, from international and technical perspectives, has to do with the distribution of surpluses -- exchange -- and the end of bargaining diplomacy -- ownership (Sen, 1981). Poverty is a long-term process that is inextricably linked to the management abilities of local public authorities. Food insecurity, however, could be addressed in the short term since the world food production generates surpluses continuously. The question is how regional and national surpluses flow into localities that urgently need to placate starvation. The second point is the use of food as a bargaining tool in the international arena. Countries restrict and promise access to food -- as well as their production tools and expertise -- as a last resort decision whenever the international community fails to come to a consensus on how to resolve a complex diplomatic issue. The most notorious contemporary examples are North Korea -- creating famine to discourage nuclear research -- and Iraq -- exchanging food for oil. In these cases, the international community is part of the foundation rather than the relief efforts of severe social situations. Therefore, task forces organized by international agencies “to provide robust and consistent support to countries struggling to cope with food insecurity” are not necessarily effective -- and genuine -- mechanisms to improve access to food and increase production (United Nations, 2008). Food security becomes a plausible objective once governments agree to stop using food as a pervasive instrument that affects mainly innocent civilians and invariably leave unscathed unscrupulous leaders. World hunger is indirectly and responsibly managed by government accountability and realistic interpretations of the driving forces guiding economic and political decision-making processes in international and national organizations. References: Kent, G. “The roles of international organizations in advancing nutrition rights.” Food Policy, 19(4), pp. 357-366, 1994. Kent, G. “Freedom from Want: the Human Right to Adequate Food”, Chapter 3, pp. 45 - 59. Georgetown University Press, 2005. Kent, G. “The Human Right to Disaster Mitigation and Relief,” Environmental Hazards, Vol. 3, pp. 137-138, 2001. Oxfam. “About us”, Accessed on March 4, 2012. http://www.oxfam.org/en/about Sen, A. “Poverty and Famines”, Oxford University Press, 1981. United Nations. “High Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis”, Draft Framework for Action, Draft as of April, 2008.