G8 must back 'global deal to end hunger'

Published on Sunday 5 July 2009 22:12

LEADERS of the world's richest nations meeting at this week's G8 summit in Italy must put their weight behind "a new global compact to end hunger" if millions of people in poorer countries are to be saved from malnutrition, a report has warned.

ActionAid has said the L'Aquila summit represents a last chance for action before increasing hunger spirals out of control in the developing world.

The charity said the meeting must agree a timetable to increase agricultural aid by 14 billion annually by 2012.

"Unless world leaders step up their response, the global food crisis is likely to worsen over the next few years," the group warns in the report.

"On current trends, 20 per cent of the world's population will be chronically malnourished within the next two years."

Meanwhile, security around the Italian city, which was hit by an earthquake earlier this year killing almost 300 people, has been increased in anticipation of the arrival of 39 heads of government and international organisations, along with 15,000 guards and thousands of accompanying staff.

The L'Aquila summit is in the biggest in the event's 19-year history. Border restrictions have already been put in place to prevent potentially violent protesters entering the country, as the Italian government moved to prevent a repeat of the violent scenes at last year's Genoa G8 summit.

But police have already clashed with anti-globalisation protesters on Saturday.

Police in riot gear fired teargas at thousands of protesters to prevent them from crossing a bridge and moving closer to a contested US military base in the northeastern city of Vicenza.

They were protesting against expansion plans that would make the US base one of the biggest in Europe, as well as more generally against the G8 summit.