The people of Renfrewshire are being urged to play their part in ending global hunger and back the recently launched Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign.
Labour MSPs Hugh Henry, Neil Bibby and Mary Fee made the call for support after attending a special Scottish Parliament event on the crusade which brought together campaigners, visitors from Burundi and Malawi, and MSPs.
The Renfrewshire trio congratulated the campaign for bringing to light the stark realities faced by 1 in 8 people in the world who go to bed hungry every night. They believe that by working together people in Paisley, all over Renfrewshire and the rest of Scotland can be part of the solution – making 2013 the beginning of the end of world hunger.
Launched by a coalition of over 150 leading international development charities and faith groups in January, the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign is the largest mass mobilisation since Make Poverty History in 2005.
Following the event in the Scottish Parliament, Hugh Henry, MSP for Renfrewshire South said:
“It’s completely unfair and unjust for so many people to go without when there’s enough food for everyone.
“Scotland should play a leading role in supporting the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign and I am confident people here in Renfrewshire and all over the country will agree. I hope people will visit the campaign website to see what they can do to help make this year the beginning of the end for world hunger.”
Neil Bibby MSP said:
“It is unacceptable that two million children die every year due to malnutrition when the world produces enough food to feed everyone.
“I’m pleased to support this campaign because it seeks to address the root causes of hunger, and I believe that we in Scotland should do all that we can to help make a difference.
“I hope people across Renfrewshire who believe that everyone can and should have enough food to live, will join us in supporting this campaign.”
Mary Fee MSP said:
“Everyone must work together to tackle the problem of malnutrition and global hunger and that’s what the IF campaign aims to achieve.
“In a world where there’s enough food for everyone, it’s unacceptable that so many people go to bed hungry every night.”
Enough Food for Everyone IF is calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to use the UK’s G8 presidency in 2013 to take action on the root causes of the hunger crisis in the poorest countries.
Campaigners also insist that Scotland must play its part by taking action in five key areas – reducing corporate tax evasion, increasing aid to people affected by climate change, promoting debate on land-grabbing in developing countries, increasing transparency of the impacts Scottish Government spending and policies have on Southern nations and increasing investment in development education at home.
Chris Hegarty, Chair of the IF Campaign in Scotland, said:
“There is much we can do in Scotland to play our part in tackling hunger. For example, we want to see the Scottish Government increase its support for the poorest communities suffering the effects of climate change, which often leads to hunger. We also believe the Government should choose to award public contracts to companies that don’t dodge their taxes in developing countries.
“We welcome the interest shown by our Scottish politicians and look forward to working with all those who are prepared to take action to create a world free from hunger. It’s also vital that others in Scotland get involved in the campaign to provide our politicians with the impetus to act, so please do go to our website to add your voice.”
People can sign up to the campaign and download copies of the Scottish recommendations at www.enoughfoodif.org/scotland
- Enough Food for Everyone IF is a coalition of more than 150 organisations which have joined together to campaign for action by the G8 on the issue of global hunger. The last time we worked together at this scale was for Make Poverty History. Now that the G8 group of world leaders are returning to the UK, we are demanding they take action on hunger. 2013 won’t be the end of hunger, but it could be the beginning of the end. Join us at www.enoughfoodif.org
