A Catholic Relief Services (CRS) official has urged Congress to take steps toward halting the recent practice of funding global food emergencies by diverting resources from long term developmental food aid that addresses chronic hunger and the underlying causes of that hunger.
CRS Chief of Staff Annemarie Reilly, testifying May 10 before a House Agriculture subcommittee, outlined a proposal that would allow the US food aid program to draw on the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, a grain reserve for food crises, once funds budgeted for food aid emergencies have been exhausted. Under the current practice, food aid funds intended for long term development have been tapped over the past several years to fill the gap for emergencies. This threatens the viability of these important programs that improve the ability over time for hungry people to feed themselves.
"Catholic Relief Services and other private voluntary agencies are very supportive of the US government response to emergencies," Reilly said. "But this should not be done at the expense of the chronically hungry."
Reilly also called on Congress to appropriate $2 billion annually for US food aid, a figure consistent with the American share of the global need over the past several years. She urged that at least half that figure be dedicated exclusively to developmental food aid - in other words, to protect developmental food aid by putting it into a "safe box."
"Our proposed changes to US food aid programs are a sincere effort to help make a great program even greater," Reilly said. "By adopting these recommendations CRS, and other organizations that implement U.S. international food assistance programs, can better promote food security, alleviate hunger and save lives."
To read the entire testimony, click here: http://www.crs.org/about_us/newsroom/speeches_and_testimony/releases.cfm?ID=38
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in 98 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
