Enough Food for Everyone IF

Enough Food for Everyone IF

Islamic Relief joins 100 organisations in major campaign to tackle hunger

Hunger and malnutrition in childhood will trap almost a billion young people in poverty by 2025, according to a major new campaign launched by Britain’s leading development charities and faith groups on January 23. ‘Enough Food for Everyone IF’, whose members include Islamic Relief, is the largest coalition of its kind in the UK since Make Poverty History in 2005.

The group warns that in a world where there is enough food for everyone, the scandal of children growing up hungry imposes a grave economic burden on the developing world, projected to cost £78 billion over the next 15 years.

“In a world of plenty there should be enough food to feed us all,” says Jehangir Malik, Islamic Relief’s UK Director. “Yet one in eight people go to bed hungry every night and over 2 million children die from malnutrition every year. Islamic Relief wants to encourage Muslims and mosques throughout the UK to get involved in this campaign with us.”

In its first report the group, which numbers 100 organisations and has the backing of philanthropist Bill Gates and Desmond Tutu, warns of the human and economic cost of hunger in a world where there is enough food to feed everyone.

As well as the 937 million children and young people (aged 15-40) whose life chances will be permanently damaged by the impact of childhood hunger by 2025, the report estimates that malnutrition will be costing developing countries an annual $125 billion (£78 billion) in lost economic output by 2030.

Great strides have been made in reducing poverty, and 14,000 fewer children are dying each day than in 1990. But hunger is threatening to reverse these achievements. Hardworking poor farmers, especially women and children, and vulnerable and ordinary people everywhere face the highest food prices in a generation. In the UK, the numbers of people using food banks has risen sharply. And climate change is making things worse.

The campaign calls on Prime Minister David Cameron to use the UK’s G8 presidency in 2013 to take action on the root causes of the hunger crisis in the poorest countries. The ‘IF’ movement challenges the Prime Minister to tackle 4 big Ifs, arguing that there is enough food for everyone:

IF we stop poor farmers being forced off their land, and use the available agricultural land to grow food for people, not biofuels for cars.

IF governments keep their promises on aid, invest to stop children dying from malnutrition and help the poorest people feed themselves through investment in small farmers.

IF governments close loopholes to stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, so that millions of people can free themselves from hunger.

IF we force governments and investors to be honest and open about the deals they make in the poorest countries that stop people getting enough food.

Taking action on the ‘corporation tax gap’ by multinational companies alone would enable developing countries to raise enough revenue every day to save the lives of 230 children under 5 currently dying because of malnutrition.

Desmond Tutu supports Enough Food for Everyone IF and said:

“Hunger is not an incurable disease or an unavoidable tragedy. We can make sure no child goes to bed hungry. We can stop mothers from starving themselves to feed their families. We can save lives. We can do all of this, IF we are prepared to do something about it. IF we challenge our leaders to take action. IF they listen to us. We can make hunger a thing of the past IF we act now.”

Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, Angélique Kidjo, commented:

“We need to solve the underlying issues of famine and hunger once and for all. People are denied access to land that could produce food. Parents work tirelessly, but still can’t afford to feed their children. It’s unfair, it’s unjust and the truth is – it’s totally preventable. With enough people behind this campaign, we can make world leaders listen. IF you believe that everyone can and should have enough food to live, please join us.”

The London launch event for the campaign at Somerset House on January 23 is being attended by more than 1,000 campaign supporters. These include actors Bill Nighy, Keeley Hawes and Bonnie Wright; musician Baaba Maal; athletes Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson; and England rugby legend Matt Dawson. Islamic Relief’s delegation includes 50 staff, supporters and volunteers, led by UK Director Jehangir Malik and faith leader and activist Tariq Ramadan.

IF enough people join us in showing support for ending hunger, world leaders will be forced to act. Join us at www.enoughfoodif.org

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For more information and a copy of the report please contact Gemma Parkin, Media Manager, Enough Food for Everyone IF: T: +44 (0)207 095 5452/ +44 (0)7920 287546 / E: [email protected] / [email protected]

For Islamic Relief-related media enquiries please contact Martin Cottingham (07702-940982 / [email protected]).

Note to editors:

Enough Food for Everyone IF is a coalition of 100-plus organisations that have joined together to campaign for action by the G8 on the issue of global hunger. The last time we worked together at this scale was for Make Poverty History. Now that the G8 group of world leaders are returning to the UK, we are demanding they take action on hunger. For current members of Enough Food for Everyone IF, visit www.bond.org.uk