G7_JAPAN

G7 perspectives
Why does a single human
being remain unfed on this
earth? Mother Earth has
sufficient resources for the
survival of all creatures
800M
people in the world
are malnourished
I
attended the 27th G8 summit in 2001 at Genoa in
Italy, where I made a fervent call upon the world
leaders to make our planet free from hunger
and poverty. Fifteen years have passed, and the
scenario of global hunger and poverty has been
transformed but not at a desired level. We are still far
away from meeting the basic needs of the people.
Despite remarkable progress in science and
technology, adequate food for all is yet to be ensured.
Instead, increased conflict and the rise of militancy
have worsened the human rights situation and
spread poverty, eroding our achievements.
We live in a connected and interdependent world.
A culture of cooperation should be fostered, which in
turn will lead to peace and prosperity.
Poverty, I think, is the main cause of starvation. It
is the number-one enemy of the citizens in developing
countries, compounded by climate change, which
further erodes food security and coping mechanisms.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization,
nearly 800 million people out of 7.3 billion on the Earth
suffer from malnutrition. That means one in every nine
is not getting the required amount of food. Of those
people, 780 million live in the developing countries
and 281.4 million in South Asia alone.
But why does a single human being remain unfed
on this earth? Mother Earth has sufficient resources
for the survival of all creatures.
Remarkable progress in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, we have worked relentlessly to fulfil
the basic needs of our citizens. Braving all obstacles,
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in terms
of food security, nutrition, education, health, social
protection and women’s empowerment. We have already
achieved self-sufficiency in food production. Growth
in gross domestic product (GDP) was sustained at over
6.3% during the last six years and 7% this year. We
achieved most of the Millennium Development Goals,
including maternal and infant mortality. The poverty
rate decreased to 22.4% in 2015 from 38.4% in 2006.
We have established nearly 16,500 community
clinics and union health centres to ensure services
to the rural people, especially women and children.
I think education and human development are the
best ways to eradicate poverty and empower the women
of Bangladesh to participate equally in the economy of
the country. Therefore, we have launched massive
programmes to ensure that 100% of school-going
children are enrolled in classes and have access to
Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister, Bangladesh
textbooks up to the secondary level at no cost. More
than 17.2 million students have been brought in under
different stipend programmes.
We have widened social safety net programmes for
the relatively poor and disadvantaged people, allocating
$3.94 billion this year, targeting women especially.
But several issues are knocking at our door to try to
undo our achievements. Of those, the most formidable
is the impact of climate change.
Although my country contributes minimally to
global warming, we pay a high price for the impacts of
climate change, which pose an existential threat to a
low-lying deltaic Bangladesh.
The changing climate is a stark reality for our
people. Erratic cyclones and tidal surges, river
erosion, the changing pattern and intensity of rainfall,
droughts, the increasing intensity of natural disasters
and sea-level rise all put our precious developmental
gains under threat. We already see the lives and
livelihoods of most farmers, fishers and artisans
coming under increasing stress due to the adverse
impacts of climate change. Many millions would be
compelled to move out of their homes. We estimate
2-3% GDP loss each year if we fail to manage the
impact of climate change, the effects of which will be
disproportionately borne by women and children.
A call to richer nations
Bangladesh and other developing countries need
continuous support in terms of resources and capacity
development to build climate resiliency. We need
knowledge and technology transfer to establish local
and sustainable solutions. We need a more responsible
and forward-looking attitude from the rich countries
to make the Sustainable Development Goals and the
Paris Agreement meaningful.
The leaders of the world’s richest G7 countries
(possessing 64% of the net global wealth, equivalent
to $263 trillion) gather at the 42nd G7 summit in Japan.
You are the key players in shaping global socio-politicoeconomic
scenario.
As a representative of developing countries, I would
like to call upon the G7 leaders to figure out effective
means that can bring a positive change in the global
hunger-poverty situation. Let us commit our actions in
the true spirit of justice, trust and cooperation. Let us
redeem the faith our people reposed in us. Let our
posterity remember Ise-Shima G7 as the beginning
of a new chapter in the history of eradication of
poverty and hunger from Mother Earth. G7
g7g20.com May 2016 • G7 Japan: The Ise-Shima Summit 23