ZERO HUNGER

The Swedish Green Party suggests that the European Greens launch a vision about zero hunger in order to draw attention to the solutions that exist.

Background:

A Considering all the then 189 member states of the UN undertook at the Millennium Summit in 2000 to ”eradicate extreme poverty and hunger” by the year 2015 as goal 1 of the 8 so called Millennium Development Goals.

B Considering that hunger is caused by injustice, wrongful priorities, powerlessness, coward politics and national egoism and those who are affected often are children, the most vulnerable, innocent and defenceless

C Considering that world hunger kills 24 000 people every day of which ¾ of those who die are children under five and despite the fact that there is enough food for everyone to have enough to eat. An often disregarded fact is that 90 per cent of those who die from starvation do so in everyday circumstances. Starvation is no disease. The “medicine” merely consists of clean water and food. 

D Regrets that a large number of summits during the last decades have decided to eradicate starvation, but despite that the number of people who are starving is not decreasing in actual numbers.

E Welcomes that the UN member countries have united in the so called Millennium goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, but regret that the roads suggested so far to reach the goals are neither fast nor efficient. As a result, many people suppress the entire problem. Hunger then becomes a ”non-issue”.

F Stresses that the problem cannot be solved through increased production and GMO:s but rather fair trade rules, the right to protect one’s own production of food and respect and follow-up of the human right to food through a so called additional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights

We call upon all green parties in the European Federation of Green Parties to help achieving zero hunger by, among other things, working for the following demands:

1. CHANGE THE TRADE POLICY

The common trade policy should be changed as regards for example intellectual property law, trade in services and so called customs escalation, in order to facilitate development. Water should be excluded from GATS (General Agreement in Trade in Services) within the WTO.

2. THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE, NOT JUST THE RIGHT TO SELL

Food sovereignty and policy space is needed for all governments and peoples, for example the right for all countries to take the necessary measures to guarantee own basic production.

3. FOOD IS A HUMAN RIGHT

Food as a right is inscribed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and first and foremost in the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

We call for an optional protocol to be introduced to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to make it possible for individuals to call their governments to account if these have not done everything within their power to make it possible for the citizens to support themselves.

4. FINANCE THE MILLENNIUM TARGETS

Introduce a tax (fee) on global currency transactions. Increase the development aid and require that all developed countries set up concrete timetables for reaching the 0,7% ODA target. Support the formation of a fund to finance the Millennium Goals.