Ethical Considerations

Why Should We Care About Hunger?&

Millennium Development Goals: UN 101

Hunger Today: The Facts

• 925 million people are chronically hungry, more than 300 million are children

• There is plenty of food in the world to feed everyone

• 1,000’s of people die every day from hunger, mainly children

• More people die from hunger than from AIDS, Malaria and TB combined

Hunger Today: The Facts• 70% of the world’s hungry are

women and children• For those in extreme poverty (people

who live on less than $1.00 a day)• 70% of their income is spent on food• In the US, a typical household spends

10% of their income on food

What is hunger?

What is hunger?

What is hunger?2,100 calories a day

“For weeks, even months, its victims must live on significantly less than the recommended 2,100 kilocalories that the average person needs to lead a healthy life. The body compensates for the lack of energy by slowing down its physical and mental activities.”

(Source: Caulfield et al., The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 July)”

“A hungry mind cannot concentrate, a hungry body does not take initiative, a hungry child loses all desire to play and study. Hunger also weakens the immune system. Deprived of the right nutrition, hungry children are especially vulnerable and become too weak to fight off disease and may die from common infections like measles and diarrhea.” (Source: Caulfield et al., The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 July)”

What is hunger?2,100 calories a day

“Each year, almost 11 million children die before reaching the age of five; malnutrition is associated with 53 percent of these deaths.”

(Source: Caulfield et al., The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 July)”

What is hunger?2,100 calories a day

Why should we care about hunger?

. . . because there is ENOUGH food to feed the world?

. . . because it is a matter of UNEQUAL distribution?

. . . because the SOLUTIONS are KNOWN and AVAILABLE?

. . . because of how HUNGER looks today?

. . . because, because, because

. . .because

. . . of personal values? faith? morals?

. . . of politics? stability?

. . . of economics?-domestic-international

. . . of personal well-being?-national security-international peace-sustainability

Personal Values, Morals, & Ethics?

Morality– defines personal character; personal views &

values– HUNGER: Some people believe helping others in

need is the right thing to doEthics– within the moral system in which morals are

applied– HUNGER: Social Safety Net systems take care of

the poorest people, i.e. food stamps in the US

Faith?• All major world religions encourage/require their followers to help

the poor and hungry

Examples: “He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.” Proverbs 22:9

“That they may witness things that are of benefit to them, and mention the name of Allah on appointed days over the beast of cattle that He hath bestowed upon them. Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor unfortunate.” Quran 22:28

Question: Does one’s religion affect their morals, ethics, or both?

“Hunger is not just a problem for politicians. We all have an ethical and moral obligation to help

people who are suffering.” President Bill Clinton

Politics?

• “A hungry child knows no politics” President Ronald Reagan

• Bipartisan issue• Political stability at home and

abroad• Effective globalization

requires political stability

Economics?

Reduce hunger

Build Human Capital

Sustainable Human Development

Economics?Addressing the needs of the hungry . . .

• promotes education (more kids in school)• improves overall health and nutrition• reduces the overall population• supports economic growth by . . .– supporting local markets– increasing the ability of individuals to participate

in the marketplace (buy and sell products)– creates new markets

Economic impact of food production The increase of food prices

Supply and Demand• Higher demand for foods due to the economic

growth of large countries such as India and China

• Shifting economies from farming to industrialization– Less land for farming– More buildings and factories

• Specialized agro-economies (e.g. Brazil)

Economic impact of food production The increase of food prices

Food for Fuel• Higher demand for energy due to

industrialization and economic growth• Biofuels (Ethanol)– Crop replacement– Food vs. Fuel

Personal Well-BeingNational Security

• Solving chronic hunger creates peace and stability in the world

• “A hungry person is an angry person. It is in all our interests to take away the cause of this anger.” Nigerian President Obasanjo to the WFP Executive Board, 2000

• “You cannot build peace on an empty stomach.” Lord Boyd Orr, Nobel Laureate and first Director General of FAO, 1949

Personal Well-BeingInternational Security

• Improve international relations through foreign aid– The Berlin Air-lift

• Hunger can lead to . . .– Food riots (e.g. Haiti)– Political instability– Violence– Terrorism– War

Personal Well-BeingSustainability

• Food is a basic need for human beings to be functional

• A world where nearly 1 billion people don’t know where their next meal is coming from is not a sustainable world

• Addressing hunger creates a platform for tackling other global issues

• More equal distribution• The triple-bottom line

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

“A society should be judged by how it treats it’s most vulnerable” Gandhi

“The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at

the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of

life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick

and the needy, and the handicapped.”

Hubert Humphrey

UN 101

What is the United Nations?

About the UN• Founded in 1945 after World War II to replace

the League of Nations to:– ensure peace between nations– provide a platform for international dialogue

• Headquarters in New York City• UN Secretary General– Currently Ban Ki-moon of South Korea

What is the United Nations?

The UN Today• 30+ affiliated organizations• 192 member nations working to:– promote respect for human rights– protect the environment– fight disease– reduce poverty around the world

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MGDs)

• Developed by the UN during the World summits of 1990

• A set of eight goals to respond to the world’s main development challenges

• Broken-down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators

MGDs

• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger • Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education • Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women • Goal 4: Reduce child mortality • Goal 5: Improve maternal health • Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases • Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability • Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

GOAL #1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

TARGET 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.00 a day

Higher food prices may push 100 million people deeper into poverty

Conflict leaves many displaced and impoverished

GOAL #1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

TARGET 2: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people

Full employment remains a distant possibilityLow-paying jobs = one in five developing country workers is

mired in povertyHalf of the world’s workforce toil in unstable, insecure jobs

TARGET 3: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Rising food prices threaten limited gains in alleviating child malnutrition

GOAL #1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

“From 1970-1997, the number of hungry people dropped from 959 million to 791 million -- mainly the result of dramatic progress in reducing the number of undernourished in China and India. In the second half of the 1990s, however, the number of chronically hungry in developing countries started to increase at a rate of almost four million per year. By 2001-2003, the total number of undernourished people worldwide had risen to 854 million and the latest figure is 925 million.”

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Non-binding declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly after WWII

• Total of 30 articles and a preamble explaining the reasons for its adoption

• E.g. Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Discussion Questions• If there is enough food in this world why

do people go hungry ? –Unequal distribution due to ….• Why do some people not care about

issues of hunger?• Are we achieving the MDGs? Yes/ No

and Why ?• Are Universal Human Rights really

universal?