By NNN,
United Nations : United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has convened the inaugural meeting of the high-level task force of senior UN officials aimed at addressing the food crisis, noting that there is an urgent need to help the millions of people already suffering.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson here, Ban said he recognizes that skyrocketing prices of basic food commodities is essentially linked to the global demand for food exceeding supply, but cautions that “the drivers of the crisis are complex and the consequences are varied”.
The task force, which brings together the heads of many UN agencies, as well as leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, seeks to promote a unified response to the global food price challenge in support of governments and affected populations.
A report by the UNNews Service said that Monday’s meeting centred on creating a comprehensive plan to tackle the soaring food prices. This strategy will encompass both short and longer-term measures, including food aid and social protection, to alleviate the impact of the crisis on the hardest hit.
The elements of the task force’s plan will be presented at next month’s high-level meeting in Rome hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on global food security.
Last week, Ban had appealed to world leaders to join him at that meeting, urging them to go with fresh ideas as it was “time for real commitment and real action”.
Task force members Monday urged countries not to take actions that would aggravate the current surge in food prices, and stressed that nations needed to allow in food supplies, from such organizations as the UN World Food Programme (WFP), for humanitarian purposes without obstructions.
Over the coming weeks, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, the task force’s co-ordinator, and Assistant Secretary-General David Nabarro will consult with UN member states as required, while the task force itself will meet as needed, the UNNS report says. — NNN