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Canadian Foodgrains Bank, the Winnipeg-based relief and development agency, participated in developing the government initiative, Canada's Action Plan for Food Security. Announced Oct. 16, the 54-page plan outlines the actions Canada will take to fulfill commitments made at the World Food Summit in Rome, which called for the number of undernourished people in the world to be reduced by half by the year 2015.
The action plan holds four key commitments:
* The right to food: CFGB believes the right to food is a fundamental right, as outlined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and reaffirmed at the World Food Summit. CFGB is promoting the International Code of Conduct on the Human Right to Adequate Food as a way to clarify the meaning and obligations of governments to respect, protect and fulfill this right.
* Aid program for those who are food insecure: CFGB observes that those who are most food insecure do not benefit from many aid programs. In the action plan, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has made a commitment to review and establish options for increasing assistance for those most food insecure.
* Impact of free trade on poor: CFGB and other non-governmental organizations believe that increased freedom of trade has significant impact on those who are hungry. However, how they have been impacted has not been well documented. The Action Plan lays the groundwork for further research on the impact of trade policies and trade agreements on food security.
* Continued food aid: Within the Action Plan, CIDA has made a commitment to give emergency food aid a high priority. This will ensure food aid provides benefits to the most vulnerable and food insecure groups, and it will maximize the effectiveness of food aid for the long term.--Canadian Foodgrains Bank
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