Feeding hunger and insecurity

5. the global response to high Food prices:5. What is being done?Figure 5.1 shows the reaction-times of variousgroups to the escalating food prices– the dark shades represent the period ofpeak activity. Though the precise timing of differentactors varies by country and context, mostregions followed this basic progression. Civilsociety 7 reacted fastest, sometimes through violentprotests prompting greater media attentionand pressuring national governments into hastyresponses (often imposing poorly designed exportrestrictions; see annex 6). The increasingmedia attention, threats to political and economicsecurity in some countries (notably Haiti)and pressure on budgets dedicated to food aidfinally triggered a response from the multilaterals(WFP and the World Bank were among thefastest to react) and, later, donors. A primaryconcern to Action Against Hunger, discussedfurther in section 6, is donor responsiveness topolitical pressure rather than information emanatingfrom surveillance in the South. A year on,few strides have been made to effectively addressthe problem of hunger. This section providesan outline and critique of the responsesto rising food prices at the global and nationallevels, supported by a case study of interventionsin Monrovia, Liberia.5.1 The International ResponseAs with hunger crises in the past, the internationalresponse has been reactionary, mediasensitiveand late. Action has come largely intwo forms: attempts to coordinate aid and globalpolicy, specifically through the ComprehensiveFramework for Action and the Global Partnershipon Agriculture and Food Security, and interventionsby the United Nations and InternationalFinancial Institutions (IFI). NGOs havealso played a role, but have been constrainedin their reaction by the lack of responsive funding,a lesser constraint for the UN agencies andIFIs. For this reason, this report will focus itscritiques on the multilaterals.5.1.1 The High-Level Task Force andComprehensive Framework for ActionIn April 2008, the Chief Executives Board of the UNestablished a High-Level Task Force on the GlobalFood Crisis (HLTF), comprising of the ExecutiveHeads of the UN specialised agencies, funds andprogrammes, Bretton-Woods institutions and theWorld Trade Organisation, to establish a commonstrategy on how to respond to the global food crisisin a coherent and coordinated way. The resultingFigure 5.1: Timeline of the general response to the rising food pricesIndexed priceMedia attentionCollective civil actionGovernment interventionGlobal policy debateDonor funding2007 2008FAO Food Prices IndexCrude oil (normal price)Wheat (index based on US Gulfprice, baseline Jan 2007)Rice (FAO index)Maize (index based on US Gulfprice, baseline Jan 2007)Source: FAO 2008b; Energy Information Administration 20087This report uses a loose definition of civil society to describe collective civil actors, including unions, farmer organisations, community based organisations,but also extending to the general public in the case of organised protests (violent or non-violent).36ACF International NetworkFeeding Hunger and Insecurity