Supporters’ voices are heard

Loud and clear

The strength of this support will ensure that the United Nations (UN) get our message loud and clear. The UN needs to act now to support poor women in their fight against hunger.

Presenting pledge

Concern’s CEO Tom Arnold is attending the UN Millennium Development Goal Summit and will present these signatures to David Nabarro, UN Special Representative on Food Security and Nutrition. This hand-in will be on the morning of the second day of the summit Tuesday, 21 September 2010. Tom Arnold said:

It is shocking that despite the promises made by world leaders in 2000, over a billion people are still hungry, and the majority of these are women. Today, hunger remains the single biggest risk to health worldwide and poses a greater threat than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Women farmers are responsible for growing, buying, selling and cooking the majority of food in poor countries, but yet they are often excluded from policy making and ignored by NGOs.

If world leaders are serious about saving lives, they must act now. When they discuss how and where to allocate crucial funds, and where reform is needed, they must include the views of the poorest women farmers who face a daily battle to produce enough food to feed themselves and their families. Otherwise the numbers of people going to bed hungry will continue to rise.

People across the world have signed this pledge to send a message to their leaders: listen to the voices of poor women farmers and make them central to the fight against hunger and malnutrition. If you don’t, then the target set to set to halve poverty and hunger by 2015 will not be reache

Representing the UK

Concern will also be delivering the petition of names to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who will be attending the UN summit.

Here is a press release we issued today.