Posted on 06/04/2008 9:09:37 AM PDT by yankeedame
3/06/2008 9:51:00 PM.
UN food agency chief Jacques Diouf said today that billions of dollars are being wasted on feeding obese people in the West while millions starve around the world.
"No one understands... how over-consumption by obese people in the world costs $20 billion each year," the head of the Food and Agriculture Organisation told an international summit on the food price crisis.
On top of this, he added, there are "$100 billion in indirect costs resulting from premature deaths and associated diseases."
Diouf also highlighted how an estimated $1.2 trillion was spent on weapons in 2006 while aid to agriculture fell by more than half, from $8 billion in 1984 to $3.4 billion in 2004.
"In real terms, the share of agriculture in public aid to development has fallen from 17 per cent in 1980 to three per cent in 2006," he said.
Recent food riots "are but the chronicle of a catastrophe that was foreseen," said Diouf, whose agency has been harshly criticised.
Diouf lamented the failure to reach a goal set by the 1996 World Food Summit in Rome of reducing the number of hungry by half by 2015.
"With current trends the summit's goal will be attained in 2150 instead of 2015," he added.
Diouf said "the international community reacts, unfortunately, only when the media bring into the living rooms of wealthy countries the sad spectacle of those who suffer in the world."
I suppose Jacques never eats French food.
Welecome to Obama’s world.
“Typical socialist crap - everything is a zero sum game, there is only limited good, complete ignorance of economics, and the facile and false notion that it’s simply a matter of forcing a transfer from one party to another.”
You got that right!
The three biggest causes of famine are drought Marxism and revolution (war).
All revolutions that I am aware of these days are lead by Marxist, so you could in reality simplify that down to Marxism and drought.
And if I had to guess which was the leading cause of famine I would choose Marxism.
UN-Useless Nations.
I heard that one too growing up. I always countered with “But it will spoil by the time the postman gets it there.”
Even when I was a little kid I realized that this was a stupid argument.
mmmmm cotton candy....
We’ve given poor countries enough food to feed everybody, but it doesn’t get to them because of corruption in their governments. The same kind of corruption practiced by the UN.
Diuof should try to get back a billion dollars or so from Kofi and see if he can feed anybody with that.
From the strain indicated on the button of his suitcoat, it looks like Dioufe isn't exactly leading by example.
I get a little ticked when I read reports of “the UN provided food to....” or “the UN provided medicine to....” The UN doesn’t grow, produce, manufacture SWAT!
Most of those items come from the US.
The UN is evil and the evil will grow....I can’t help but think the AntiChrist will come from the UN....or be closely tied to it.
The UN clowns are clueless about how markets work — and they are overtly hostile to the very existence of liberty.
The solution is to spread capitalism and freedom to the impoverished lands, but the U.N. clowns will never voice that.
Commies, commies, everywhere, and not an honest man in sight.
If I buy something, it’s mine and I can throw it in the trash if I want.
If he wants it, he can buy it... Oh, that’s right, he’s a commie thief and wants someone else to pay for it. And he’s not particular if that someone else feels bad about it.
In other words, he wants to steal it. And we’re the bad guys?
If Doof were starving to death, I wouldn’t give him a bite of mouldy of bread out of my garbage can. He’d pay my asking price or go without.
Couldn’t find a picture of a fat black kid or a fat Hispanic kid, noooooo.... gotta be a fat white kid. Ah yes.
Didn't South Park do this first?
My post sounds rather like an echo of yours. ;-)
The bastards in the UN will never acknowledge the truth, that world hunger is not due to availability of food or logistics, it’s due to corrupt governments using starvation as a weapon. The very corrupt governments the UN props up.
Meh, whatever, Africa had a 3 million year head start... And when they were very productive, i.e. Rhodesia... the people that didn’t know a a spade from a rock were given control of the land... and now they all starve.. sucks to be them... tribal mentality.
Of course if one travels the ME, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Egypt, they will no ever see a fat native citizen in those countries.
WTF?
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