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![Spiralling food prices has led to rioting in poor cities around the globe [EPA]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/Sci-Tech2/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/food-crisis-2B1.jpg "Spiralling food prices has led to rioting in poor cities around the globe [EPA]") | | Spiralling food prices has led to rioting in poor cities around the globe [EPA] |
The UN has called on the international community to take urgent action against the global food crisis, warning that escalating prices could undo years of progress in poverty alleviation.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said on Monday that immediate measures were needed to meet food demand and combat rising costs.
"The rapidly escalating crisis of food availability around the world has reached emergency proportions," he said at a UN meeting in Washington.
Joining the growing call for action, Ban said a concerted move would "avoid the larger political and security implications of this growing crisis".
"We need not only short-term emergency measures to meet urgent critical needs and avert starvation in many regions across the world, but also a significant increase in long-term productivity in food grain production."
"Developing countries need external assistance - especially better technology and increased financing - to rise to this challenge," he said, noting that climate change also raised similar threats. Key UN financial, economic and trade institutions convened an emergency meeting to discuss long-term aid amid concerns that the crisis could lead to serious political upheavals. The World Bank on Sunday warned that soaring food prices in recent years could push 100 million people in developing nations further into poverty. Global poverty Robert Zoellick, the World Bank president, in urging wealthy nations to "put our money where our mouth is", said a prolonged food crisis could wipe out seven years of progress made in reducing global poverty. Global food crisis  Food riots have erupted in countries including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Haiti in the past monthIn Pakistan and Thailand, army troops have been deployed to avoid food being seized from fields and warehouses Prices in these countries for foodstuffs such as rice, wheat, sorghum and maize have doubled Causes of crisis range from financial speculation on food commodities, desertification, population increases, China and India's economic growth and use of grains to make biofuels Cost of funding projects enabling governments to tackle food crisis could be up to $1.7bn However world cereal production in 2008 is projected to increase by 2.6 per cent to a record 2,164 million tonnes Source: United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) "This additional food aid will address the impact of rising commodity prices on US emergency food aid programmes and be used to meet unanticipated food aid needs in Africa and elsewhere," the statement said. The pledge by the US, the largest provider of food aid in the world, comes a day after the World Bank announced a "new plan" to help those affected by the crisis and, alongside the International Monetary Fund (IMF), urged wealthy nations to contribute $500m towards easing the problem. Food security has become a major concern in recent weeks as supplies of basic commodities dwindled in the face of soaring demand, triggering riots and outbreaks of violence in Haiti, Africa and the Far East.
Increases in the price of rice, wheat, corn, cooking oil, milk and other foodstuff have sparked violent protests in at least 37 countries including Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Indonesia.
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