國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
16
2. The Work of the Non-Profit Organizations on Aid for Food Security
This chapter will refer about the background of the food security in the world, how this topic turned into an issue of relevant importance in the international community, being the first of the UN millennium development goals. Furthermore it will describe the relation between the international organizations and the non-profit organization as channels for the aid. In the end of the chapter, the main geographic areas of research will be the Latin American and the Caribbean regions, describing the panorama of the food insecurity and the perspective for eradicating poverty and hunger.
2.1. Background of Aid for Food Security
The non-governmental food aid is distributed through the nonprofit organizations, of which commonly act as distribution channels for both bilateral and multilateral aid, although sometimes have their own resources. Their weight has been multiplied from the 80’s reaching more than 20% of total aid.
The primary origins of food assistance was the Marshall, one quarter of the resources of which were allocated to support plan such. This North American initiative had the following objectives contribute to the rebuilding of a Europe devastated by World War II, stop the communist advance for it and outputting the U.S. agricultural surplus to prevent falling prices. Similar political and commercial objectives have largely persisted over time. Later, in 1954, the U.S. approved the Law for Relief and
‧
Agricultural Trade Development,19 which is the, still in force, legislative framework of food assistance in the country and the initiation of targeting Third World countries.
With the growing of the populations, the migration from one country to another developed, the world’s powerful nations addressed this important issue – aid for food security - in the round of Kennedy for the negotiation of GATT20 in 1967, which was the first international grains agreement. This agreement referred to the need of the constriction of the grains productions and market and as well as the wish of the food aid donor countries to share their effort with the least developed countries.
The first Food Aid Convention, resulted in the involvement of its members to provide annual food aid totaling 4.5 m. tons of grain to the developing countries.21 The donors came to a great commitments by guaranteeing the level and the minimum limit of food aid that least developed countries should receive even if global scarcity forced to increase the price of grains in the world’s stock. Donors were free to decide how to distribute their aid, but the FAC encouraged them to channel some multilaterally. Since the beginning, FAC food aid has been an important resource for the World Food Programmed in support of its various projects. In the year 1971, this Food Aid
19 The Law for Relief and Agricultural Trade Development is better known as Public Law 480 (PL480), what in the actuality became The Food for Peace Act (FPA). FPA provides assistance to countries at a particular level of economic development. This Act is divided into 3 titles: Title I is administered by USDA, and Titles II and III are administered by USAID.
See: United States Department of Agriculture official website
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=AGENCY_REPORTS
20 GATT: The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) covers international trade in goods. The workings of the GATT agreement are the responsibility of the Council for Trade in Goods (Goods Council) which is made up of representatives from all WTO member countries. The current chairperson is Amb. Dacio CASTILLO (Honduras).
See: World Trade Organization / GATT and the goods council official website http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gatt_e/gatt_e.htm
21 FAC: Food Aid Convention
Objective: “To contribute to world food security and to improve the ability of the international community to respond to emergency food situations and other food needs of developing countries”. FAC members make quality food aid available to developing countries with the greatest needs on a predictable basis, irrespective of fluctuations in world food prices and supplies. Particular importance is attached to ensuring that food aid is directed to the alleviation of poverty and hunger of the most vulnerable groups.
Source: www.foodassistanceconvention.org
‧
changed have been applied.22At the 106th session of the Food aid Committee members agreed not to extend the Food Aid Convention, 1999. Accordingly, this Convention expired on 30 June 2012. On 1st January 2013, a new Food Assistance Convention came into effect, which objectives changed in order to save lives, reduce hunger, improve food security, and to give assistance in to help developing countries recover the nutritional status. And by January 2014, the commitments of the parties who have ratified, accepted or approved the Food Assistance Convention are the one listed with details in the following table (see table 2.1).Table 2.1: Food Assistance Convention Donors
Donor Commitments in 2014 US$*
Austria €1.495m US$ 2.043 m.
Canada C$250m. US$ 227.77m.
Denmark DKK185m. US$ 33.61m.
European Union €300m. US$ 406.74m.
Finland €6m US$ 8.203 m.
*Note: exchange rate of December 2013, using website of XE currency exchange Source: Food Assistance Committee, information note of January 2014
www.foodassistanceconvention.org Access date: January 2014
22 Food Aid Convention official website, about the FAC http://www.foodaidconvention.org/en/index/aboutthefac.aspx Food Assistance Committee, information note of January 2014.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
19