Thursday, November 29, 2012

G8 must tackle 'ridiculously unfair' global system

Christian development agency Tearfund says the G8 must commit to ending poverty when it meets next year in Northern Ireland.

David Cameron confirmed this week that next year's summit will take place at the Lough Erne golf resort near Enniskillen, in County Fermanagh.

Tearfund chief executive Matthew Frost said that a hunger summit would run alongside the G8 meeting to press leaders to making the commitments "the world's poorest need from us".

He called for "rigorous standards" to be put into place to end corruption by making sure governments are transparent about their budgets, and that companies clearly state the tax they owe.

"Let's make 2013 the year that we start to end hunger, and begin to tackle the ridiculously unfair system that means that, even though there is enough food in the world for everyone, one in eight people will go to bed hungry tonight," he said.