Introduction
2."The Special Rapporteur is outraged to report
that global hunger is still on the rise. According to the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) latest report on The State of Food Insecurity
in the World 2006, there has been virtually no progress made on reducing hunger,
despite the commitments made by Governments in 1996 and again at the Millennium
Summit in 2000. While in 1996, the number of people suffering from
undernourishment was estimated to be about 800 million people, FAO's latest
estimate suggests that there are now 854 million people who do not get enough to
eat every day. More than 6 million children die from hunger-related illness
every year before their fifth birthday."
Summary
"The Special Rapporteur also focuses on the silent
tragedy of children suffering and dying from hunger and malnutrition. Without
adequate food and nutrition during their first five years, children suffer from
physical stunting and limited intellectual development, condemning them to early
death or a marginal existence for the rest of their lives. Without respect for
their right to food, children become involved in forced labour to help feed
themselves and their families, including recruitment as child
soldiers."
"Hunger forces tens of thousands of people to flee
their own countries, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa. The Special
Rapporteur calls the Council's attention to Africa's 'refugees from hunger' and
the criminalization of their forced migration."
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